Chiefs Won't See Personnel Files

Selectmen voted Monday night to restrict access to the personnel files of candidates for the position of lieutenant in the police department to themselves and Police Chief John Moore. 

the board give permission for a panel of three police chiefs from area towns who will interview candidates to see those files. The topic was discussed at length at a meeting Friday without a decision being reached.

On Monday, the board voted, 2-1, to limit access. Chairman Jay Marsden and Selectman Jay Leary voted against doing so, while Selectman Kevin Conley said he supported the chief's request. 

Marsden said the move will enable the chiefs to interview candidates without being influenced by informaiton in the file. 

In their second meeting of the day--the board also--selectmen also continued their back-and-forth with resident Bill Dowd, who complained that he was never told that documents he was requesting from the town did not exist. 

The terse exchange ended with Dowd making another request for information from the board. During hte discussion, he also said he was not interested in being appointed to fill a vacancy on the Finance Committee. 

In other business, the board: 

- Approved street opening requests for Regal St. and Ashland St. to allow reisdents to make connections to NStar gas service. Both roads needed waivers to be opened before 2012. 

- Voted to approve the warrant for the Oct. 24 Town Meeting. 

- Voted to recommend that Town Meeting accept both Springdale Circle and Indian Ridge South. 

Several residents of Indian Ridge South were at the meeting to express concern that the road would be accepted without sidewalks, as originally planned. Selectmen explained that the town had finished the roadway after taking the bond when the developer walked away from the project, with insufficient funds remaining to install the sidewalks.