The Rindge Select Board voted 2-1 to employ the town counsel to investigate employee complaints against Selectman Tom Coneys.
Select Board Chair Bob Hamilton first brought up the idea of involving town counsel during a meeting on June 11, after publicly addressing a complaint that Coneys has “yelled at” one of the town’s employees earlier that day, and that it was inappropriate.
At the time, Coneys said he had apologized to the employee, and that he had been “caught off guard” by something. Coneys addressed the same incident on Wednesday, where he contested the characterization of “yelling.”
“I really didn’t yell, but I did speak something I shouldn’t have said, and I apologize to that person,” Coneys said.
Coneys went on to imply that the complaints had only started to come after he had put in freedom of information requests under RSA 91-A.
“I want to make it very clear, I was not elected here to make individuals or department heads happy,” Coneys said. “My role as a selectman is to manage the essential affairs of this town, and to be honest with you, I’m not here to protect any individual department or inside buddy. It’s become extremely obvious to me that as soon as I bring up a question that doesn’t smell right, my observations are upsetting the apple cart.”
Recently, the Rindge Firefighters Association — a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the members and families of the Fire Department — sent a letter calling comments Coneys had made regarding department staffing “misinformation” that “is both irresponsible and dangerous.”
Coneys said he has several outstanding records requests, and he will continue to pursue those requests.
“I got elected to run this town in a businesslike manner, and it’s obvious that certain departments and individuals don’t like or want any scrutiny,” Coneys said. “And I can intend to continue to do my job, and that is to pay attention to what the departments are doing.”
One issue Coneys called out specifically was timesheets, which he said he had been denied access to after he brought up a potential discrepancy. Earlier in the meeting, Coneys voted no on approving payroll, because he said he had been denied access to documents that would verify the payroll sheets.
“I think preventing me from looking at documents for verification purposes in the operations of this town really brings into question for me, and maybe other people, what’s being hidden, or why can’t I see them. I’m not asking for their insurance card number; I’m asking for documents to back up things that this board is supposed to manage and approve,” Coneys said.
Coneys also said the decision to deny his request was made unilaterally by interim Town Administrator Roberta Oeser. Oeser protested that assertion, saying that the request had been denied after review by the town counsel, based on the fact that it was considered personnel records.
“That wasn’t my response,” Oeser said. “It was from an attorney.”
Coneys reiterated that he would continue to pursue his record requests.
“I’m going to continue to do the job that I was elected for, to represent the people, and to do good for them, and look out for the taxpayers, and I think that’s what I was doing by questioning a lot of stuff, and no one seems to like it,” Coneys said.
Hamilton and Selectman Larry Cleveland voted to approve asking the town counsel, Upton & Hatfield, to do an investigation on the employee complaints and make recommendations to the board for what their next steps should be. Coneys voted against.
“It’s a waste of taxpayer money,” Coneys commented, immediately following the vote.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on X @AshleySaariMLT.