The Temple Select Board has hired a mediator to work with the board and town employees after nearly every Town Hall employee submitted resignations last month.
Town Clerk Wendy Drouin, Deputy Clerk Jeanne Whitcomb, Treasurer Shannon Kelly and Administrative Assistant Betsy Perry all recently submitted letters of resignation, citing conflict with Selectwoman Gail Cromwell.
The Select Board asked the four to give them an opportunity to put see if the issues can be solved. All four agreed to stay in their positions for at least May 7 and to enter the mediation process.
“We hoping that we’re going to have everything work out and we can create a decent working environment that everyone can live with,” said Selectman Ken Caisse in an interview Wednesday.
The Select Board has hired a Derry mediator for the price of $150, and all four employees and the board have agreed to go through a mediation process.
The group will start with four once-a-week sessions and then reassess if there is a need for further mediation, according to Caisse.
The board is also working on crafting a code of conduct for the Select Board, with both Chair George Willard and Cromwell offering drafts during the board’s meeting on Tuesday. The board agreed to review the suggestions and take up discussion of the policy at another meeting.
The board has yet to determine a time for the first mediation session.
The Select Board meets next on May 10 in the Town Hall.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.