Clarksburg Settles on Compromise Search Committee
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Chairman Carl McKinney and Selectwoman Lily Kuzia dug in their heels last week over the size of the committee, with McKinney considering a seven-member panel for broader representation and Kuzia insisting that the original five proposed by him was more than enough.
In a compromise crafted by Town Administrator Michael Canales, the board settled on six and nominated Kuzia, Finance Committee members Mary Beverly, Paula Wells and Linda Ethier, Council on Aging Vice President Shirley Therrien and a member to be determined by the School Committee, which will vote at its Thursday meeting.
Planning Board Chairman David Sherman was nominated as an alternate. He will be able to attend meetings and interact with candidates but can only vote if another member is absent.
As a selectman, Kuzia will call the first meeting but indicated she did not want to be chairman.
The size and shape of the committee has sparked concern because of the application of longtime Chairwoman Debra LeFave for the post. LeFave served on the Selectmen for more than a decade before resigning on Jan. 12, the same day it was announced that Canales had accepted a position with the city of North Adams.
McKinney said he would not serve on the search panel because of his long friendship with LeFave, and had expressed concern over School Committee Chairman David Berger serving on the panel for the opposite reason. Town and school officials have frequently shown frustration with each other over budgets and other issues. McKinney, however, said last week that he would accept the School Committee's choice.
(Update: Chairman David Berger was nominated by the School Committee on Thursday to serve on the search committee.)
Audience members asked about having an even number on the panel because it could cause a tie, a situation which the Selectmen had also worried about the week before. Kuzia had said she would not break a tie.
"They are not a deciding body, they're only a preliminary screening committee to look at the candidates, do initial interviews and then make a recommendation to the select board," said Canales. "So since they're not making the decision, then a tie would really not matter."
If the vote was split on two candidates, the search committee could send both to the Selectmen, he said.
McKinney still expressed hope that the committee would report out one candidate favorably so the board itself wouldn't get hung up.
"I would really like one, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it," he said.
Applications are due Feb. 5, although the town will continue to accept resumes until the post is filled. Canales' last day is March 5.
In other business:
â–º The board approved appealing a decision by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reject a request for emergency funds to fix the East Road bridge closed since Hurricane Irene in August. FEMA has determined that because the state Department of Transportation had suggested its replacement and the town had drawn up plans, the bridge was not eligible. The town's position is that the bridge was functional before Irene, and nonfunctional afterward.
Canales said the town will hear back in 60 days but that in any case, the bridge will be fixed before next winter. The cost of the project has been pegged at $250,000. Information is available here.
â–º The board reiterated Town Clerk Carol Jammalo's call for volunteers to work the state primary election on March 6. Anyone interested can contact her at 413-663-8255 or clarksburgtclerk@gmail.com.
Tags: search committee, town administrator,
