Board appointments are a common and largely non-controversial part of Board of Selectmen (BOS) meetings. However, during the appointment portion of the agenda at the December 6 BOS meeting, Selectman Kurt Vail raised the idea — not for the first time — that he would like the board to abandon its custom of automatically reappointing people who want to continue serving. This led to much discussion among the board and people in attendance.
Stafford has many boards and commissions for which people volunteer, such as the Hyde Park Commission, the Arts Commission, and the Zoning Board of Appeals. People who would like to serve on these boards and commissions typically fill out a form detailing their relevant experience, and when there is an opening, the BOS votes on who to appoint. (You can download the application forms here.) Each board has a limit on the number of members it can have, and there are terms. The town will sometimes publicize openings on the town website — especially when there are empty seats — in the town newsletter, via email, or through social media, though it isn’t always consistent. However, it has typically been the board’s custom to reappoint people already on the boards and commission when they want to continue.
Vail asked that instead of automatically reappointing existing board and commission members, the BOS do a better job of publicizing openings and that they consider other applications for every opening to ensure the most qualified people fill the position. It doesn’t seem controversial, but it did spur a lot of conversation.
Selectman Rick Hartsenstein suggested that some boards and commissions require a lot of training and expertise and that it could be a mistake to oust a current member with years of that experience for someone new. Vail countered, saying that in a case like that, the experience would win out, and the current member would likely be reappointed.
Dave Bachiochi, chairman of the Recreation Commission, suggested that the BOS ask the chairs of each committee for feedback on current members before reappointing them. This was a point the whole board agreed with. As Vail’s request didn’t represent a formal change, just a shift in BOS thinking, no formal action was needed.
However, the whole room got a good chuckle when the BOS moved on to its formal motions about appointments, which included appointing BOS members as delegates to some boards. Hartenstein suggested that Vail continue on the Heald Trust Fund because Vail was already on the board, and good-natured hecklers suggested Vail should have to “reapply.” Vail played along, saying he isn’t a hypocrite and would gladly reapply, but Hartenstein said he didn’t want the position.
Stafford resident Beth Magura pointed out that she spends a lot of time on the town website and thinks the information available is often limited or hard to find, making it tough for people to know which commissions have openings. Ultimately, the issue may be more about awareness and a lack of candidates than the process of confirming appointments.
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