Selectmen Should Reverse 'Blatant' Transparency Issue

Public Comments at
the January 28, 2013, Board of Selectmen Meeting.

I would like to address the issue of the $100,000 alleged
contract that was encumbered.

The $100,000 encumbrance has brought to light not only the legality of it but also the lack of transparency between Town Management and the BOS and clearly a violation of the town purchasing policy.  The item had never before been discussed at a public meeting.  The shocked response of some of the members of the BOS would lead me to believe that they were hearing it for the first time.  The town manager and the Finance Director must have known that they would need public approval for the project by the BOS prior to initiating any legitimate PO activity.  The purchasing policy violation is blatant and needs no further elaboration.

Making a statement as Mr. Moore did to the newspaper that this was the way it was done in the past doesn’t make it right.  Mr. Griffin as chairman clearly failed to acknowledge the impropriety here and brings to question his competency as an elected selectman.  These  two Selectmen in particular should know that this kind of management led to  a $1.4 million dollar year end spending spree 2005 when they were on the board.

Further, I find that the vendor involved in this chicanery, Vic Lessard,  is a well-known supplier to the Town, sits on boards and committees and has a long history of service to the town.  That firm should be prohibited from bidding on this project, as it looks too cozy for my eyes.

I don’t understand how Chairman Griffin and Selectman Moore can be so enabling in allowing a return to the lack of transparency of the past or supporting 6% to 7% tax increases for 2013, given the public’s response to what went on during their early years on the Board of Selectmen.

The right thing to do is to immediately reverse your decision and to follow the rules.

I caution the Board and the Town Manager that Hampton is faced with substantial capital spending for infrastructure and schools somewhere between $65-100 Million. Careful analysis and planning must take place so that the taxpayers can absorb these expenditures in an orderly manner. This is a truly daunting task and will require us to be at our best. We cannot afford to play games or act recklessly in dealing with these items. We cannot afford cost overruns and poorly thought out unjustified projects. We need to carefully look at new technologies, alternate spending plans and prioritization. You have a great responsibility going
forward and I ask that you pay particular attention to safeguarding the
resources that you are being held responsible for. We as taxpayers should not
have to doubt your motives and methods of doing business which is exactly what
we are doing when nonsense such as phony po’s and accounting gimmicks are used to promote political agendas in an environment that lacks  transparency. Mr. Griffin, Mr. Moore and Mr. Bean you have to remember you are representatives of the Taxpayers not special interest groups.

Norman Silberdick

For Rational Taxpayers of Hampton