A stand up guy in a sit down world

You may not know his name but you have probably seen him cutting grass, planting flowers or chopping ice at Town Hall. He’s in better shape then most 30- year-olds, yet he is closer to 70 then he is 60. As he goes about his business he usually has a big smile on his face while sweat drips off his farmer's tan. He enjoys his job as much today as he did 27 years ago when he reported for his first day at work.

His name is Phil Meschino and he’s the guy that has made the grounds of Town Hall a showplace, while also supervising and performing building maintenance. 

Phil is the quintessential straight shooter. Don’t ask him a question if you aren’t prepared for the unvarnished truth. Phil calls it the ways he sees it. He treats everyone with respect but he doesn’t play games. He would rather stick glass in his eyes then compromise his principles to get ahead. Unfortunately, in the year 2011 a 1950s personal code will ruffle a few feathers from time to time, but overall you can't help but like the guy. He’s honest, hard working and a great family man.

Phil loves life and he can’t wait to greet the new day. If you’ve ever been at the Mobil On The Run at 4 a.m. on a weekday you’ve probably seen him with some of Merrimack’s other early risers solving the world’s problems. From there he goes to the YMCA when it opens at 5 a.m. and works out for an hour then back home to do some chores. When Phil finally arrives at town hall at 7:30 a.m. he is chomping at the bit. He takes prides in the grounds and he takes pride in his town. He has saved taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars over the years by continuously improving efficiencies at Town Hall.

There is a lot more to Phil then just his work ethic. Phil is a giver and when someone needs help he feels responsible for being the first in line to do so. Back in 1992, then Town Manager Dan Ayer was fighting cancer and receiving chemotherapy regularly, which was making him weak and run down. Knowing that Phil was a fitness nut, Dan asked him to help him work out so he could remain as strong as possible. Every morning Phil would go to YMCA with Dan and work out with him. Phil didn’t stop there, he also cut Dan's lawn during the illness and when Dan finally succumbed to the deadly disease, Phil planted a tree in his memory at Town Hall with a plaque so that future generations would know something about Dan.

On occasion, Phil’s sense of responsibility has even gotten him into a little hot water. He once got reprimanded for doing work for the town without being paid. A project needed to be completed and overtime was not allowed so he decided to finish the job on his own time. Town officials told Phil that he was breaking the rules by working for free. Wow! What was Phil thinking? How dare he try to save the taxpayers a little dough. After all, he’s a government employee; he’s got a reputation to live up to. Working for free, what’s next refusing gifts and giving money to charity? Believe it or not, the answer is yes. 

On his 25th anniversary with the town, the Town Council was going to reward him with a fancy watch. He informed them that he would not accept it and asked them to give the $250 they were going to spend on it to the St. James Food Pantry. He explained that he already had a dependable timepiece and felt the money could be better spent helping Merrimack citizens who weren’t as fortunate as him

Have you heard enough? You have to admit that he sounds like a pretty good guy. The town must know how lucky they are to have him. Right? Guess again.

Due to a reorganization of his department by the Town Council in an attempt to save money, effective July 1 Phil received a demotion from building and grounds foreman to custodian, and the major pay cut that comes with the new title. The Town maintains that Phil’s change in position was not a demotion, but that his position was eliminated, effectively laying him off.  They say he was offered the opportunity to apply for the full time custodian position opened in place of the building and grounds foreman position he held previously.

I say if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck; it’s a duck.

The reorganization consisted of laying off two of the full-time employees Phil supervised and replacing them with a part-timer and an outside cleaning company. The Town Council figures that with these changes Phil wont have to supervise anymore and everyone in the department will report to the Director of Public Works.

Ok, I understand the attempt to save money, in fact I applaud it, but if the same work still needs to be done, even if it’s by a different group of people, doesn’t the department still need to be directly supervised by someone who is always on site? If Phil isn’t supervising building and grounds who is?  Do you think the Director of Public Works will be the person directly responsible for ensuring that preventive maintenance is performed regularly, working with utility companies on a monthly basis to save energy, ensuring town hall maintenance supplies are on hand or double checking the outside cleaning company and the part-timer to verify that they complete their daily tasks properly and on time? Do you think the director is going to spend the time needed to inspect Town Hall and its grounds on a regular basis to make sure they stay in perfect condition?My guess is that when the dust settles, Phil will be doing the same job he has always done but with a much lighter wallet.

In the end, the Town Council gets to have its cake and eat it too. They may be cutting Phil’s pay, but they’ll still get the same amount of work and oversight from him that they always did. Phil isn’t capable of giving less then 100 percent. It’s that simple.

With that being said, the $64,000 question has to be asked; why will Phil continue to work for much less pay instead of just retiring and riding into the sunset? To know the answer you must really know Phil. For guys like him it’s never about the money or the title. Its about personal satisfaction and knowing that no matter what else happens they give everything they have to everything they do, whether it be working, parenting or just being a good friend.

Phil can deal with the demotion and loss in pay because he answers to an authority much higher than the Town Council. Phil answers to himself, and as long as he continues to live up to the standards he set for himself as a young man growing up in Somerville, Mass., he will always walk with a spring in his step and a smile on his face.

Despite the demotion, Town Hall will always be his baby and whether it's pushing a lawnmower or wielding a paintbrush, he will continue to work as hard as ever to make Town Hall beautiful while also finding ways to save the taxpayers a buck or two.

The next time you drive by Town Hall and you see Phil outside breaking a sweat, slow down and beep the horn while giving him a thumbs up and a smile. It won’t get him his money back, but he wont care. He’ll just be pleased to know he’s helped make another person happy. 

In the world Phil Meschino lives in, that's what truly matters.