The Temple Select Board continues to be at odds over how the group handles elected officials and town office employees, as well as the Right-to-Know law.
Two of the three members of the board – Chair George Willard and member Ken Caisse – signed a letter to the editor to the Ledger-Transcript that details events in which they say board member Gail Cromwell violated Right to Know laws in her comments about town Treasurer Shannon Kelley.
Kelley is one of four town office employees who recently submitted her resignation, and cited conflict with Cromwell as a reason. Of the four, Kelley and Administrative Assistant Betsy Perry have so far agreed to remain in their posts, while Town Clerk Wendy Drouin and Deputy Clerk Jeanne Whitcomb have resigned. Before their final decision, the town attempted to reach an agreement using a professional mediator.
According to Willard’s letter, the mediation process ultimately failed, and Cromwell walked out on the second session with the mediator, he said.
The latest issue came after attempts at mediation, when during the board’s most recent meeting, Cromwell motioned for the acceptance of Kelley’s resignation letter after bringing to the fore an issue of checks issued by the town and never cashed by their recipients. The motion died for fail of a second.
Cromwell said Kelley was at fault for not attempting to resolve the outstanding balances – which amounted to about $7,000 and dated back several years. Cromwell also alleged that Kelley refused her request to disclose documents.
Willard and Caisse protest in their letter that the matter should have been discussed in non-public session, and said the meeting was a example of a “habit” of Cromwell’s of “calling out and disciplining employees and elected officials in public.”
Willard called Cromwell’s time on the Select Board “Orwellian” and that she had brought “dread and fear” to office employees. The letter can be found on page 8.
Cromwell responded Wednesday in a written statement, saying she copied Willard and Caisse on emails about her communications with Kelley. Cromwell argued that she was within her rights as a member of the Select Board to examine the town’s financial records and request that outstanding issues be addressed, and said that viewing that as harassment of the treasurer was “ludicrous.”
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com.