Simsbury Board of Selectmen Meeting September 27, 2023

Board of Selectmen Meeting September 27, 2023

At the September 11, 2023 Board of Selectmen meeting there was discussion pertaining to the omission of alcohol consumption in the additions of prohibitions to the Ordinance with additions of vaping, smoking and cannabis.

Selectman Sean Askham stated that there is no need to add alcohol to the Ordinance of prohibitions on town property since the State already has laws against alcohol.

The State Law addresses prohibitions with minors and liquor and drunk driving.

There are prohibitions of alcohol consumption on State Parks, unless permitted.

There is no mention about prohibitions of alcohol consumption statewide.

Where did Sean Askham receive his information?

Sean Askham’s background and knowledge of the stress placed on families living with alcohol addiction should promote the prohibition of alcohol on town property.

The ordinance states, “ The purpose of this policy is to protect the health and safety of all individuals who use public property.”

Why does Sean Askham believe that alcohol consumption does not need to be protected by the town?

Giving a lame excuse that they were given the charge of adding tobacco, vaping and cannabis to Ordinance voids any additions is ludicrous.

These are the health effects of alcohol consumption.

1. Liver Damage

2. Brain and Nervous System Damage

3. Cardiovascular issues

4. Gastrointestinal problems

5. Increased Susceptibility to Diseases

6. Increased Risk of Cancer

7. Mental Health Complications

Alcohol consumption is the number one health risk and the Board of Selectmen do not have the guts to say no.

The Board of Selectmen are the policy providers to the town and should provide policies that protect the health and safety of individuals.

The Town Manager executes the policy.

This board has reversed their roles and thereby abdicated their responsibilities to the people that elected them.

Since Chief Boulter has assumed his position, he continues to micro-manage all aspects of the Police Department.

After many decades of asking the Records Room employees for information on the incident reports without incident, Chief Boulter has initiated a policy that requires me to receive this information from Lt. Chase who has become my babysitter for information.

Lt. Chase has many responsibilities, is not always available and it appears that this is a violation of the union contract.

The policy that Chief Boulter has initiated against me is controlling and punitive which is an example of his management style.

As a result of Chief Boulter’s policy, I have initiated many Freedom of Information requests that results in lengthy time fulfilling my requests when a phone call to records, that all others can do, would take a few minutes of their time instead of hours of fulfilling my requests.

The Certus consultant report of workload and staffing states, “The management of the Property and Evidence Unit has been challenging due to staffing. The Records Unit supervisor is also the Property and Evidence Unit custodian. While the custodian has put effort into maintaining the Property and Evidence function, there are opportunities for improvement in several areas.

The department has adequate technology and equipment to effectively perform the records function. However, the workload is immense and requires two additional civilian records clerks.

The Records Unit also has a large backup of workload that needs processing as current staff lack sufficient human resources.

After reviewing this report, why has Chief Boulter added more stress to the employees workload?

This reflects the micro-management style of Chief Boulter and the ineffective use of staff.

Chief Boulter’s reasoning is that the Records Room employees do not have the knowledge to transmit this information on records.

My interactions with the Records Room has always been with a knowledgeable and receptive response.

It appears that Chief Boulter does not have the confidence to allow the Records Room employees to transmit information to the public.

This failure in management by Chief Boulter initiated a No Confidence Vote from a majority of the officers.

Chief Boulter is close to eligibility to retire.

Deputy Chief Davis with many years of experience and knowledge would be the perfect replacement.

Deputy Chief Davis has earned the respect of the Police Officers and would be a perfect fit for the Police Department.

It appears that Interim Town Manager Lee Erdmann has had a professional interaction with finalist for Town Manager, Marc Nelson.

Both Lee Erdmann and Marc Nelson were employed by the City of Hartford at the same time.

After lengthy interviews and interaction with the public, the Board of Selectmen should not make the same mistake a second time.

Town employees expect a manager to provide a good working environment.

A respected Town Manager will bring highly qualified employees to work in our town and have fewer employees resigning from their positions.

The board’s decision is critical to the future of Simsbury.