Editorial: Time has come

The time has come for the town meeting members to re-visit the need for a town manager, given the circumstances of last week when the intended party reneged at the final contract signing.

Does Lenox need a town manager?

There has been an underlying current of people who wish to go back to the three-member board and office administrator.

We have today interim town co-managers in Jeff Vincent and Mary Ellen Deming.

Thus, today Ms. Deming could step in as interim manager as she has done in the past.

Circumstance change. W. David Roche, chairman, has acknowledged the Open Meeting Law and has advocated for a discussion on the merits of a proposed idea at one meeting followed by a vote at the next meeting giving the impression that Lenox government is open and values its citizen input.

Given the circumstances in other towns, including the surroundings of the non-rehiring of the town manager in Great Barrington, the town’s work today is being taken care of by its board and a new town manager under a strong manager type government.

In Egremont, the select board probably wishes it had a town manager rather than an office administrator to blame for its inability to deal with the police chief issue. Today they have one being paid without police power and a second one serving as police chief. Convoluted? Yes.

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Note: Chapter 155 of the Acts of 1991 of The Great and General Court established the current Lenox Selectmen/Manager form of government.

Any change in the number of selectmen or to the position of town manager would require a town meeting vote and special legislation to amend that 1991 act.

Given today’s setting – no selectman is going to call for a review of its procedures and/or the elimination of the town manager.

Thus, it would take a petition of the town meeting members filed before the town meeting to see if there were enough support for change.

At least, it would result in an up or down vote on the citizens’ evaluation of the town manager form of government.

The vote either way might be a wake up call for the town.

Posted by George C. Jordan III on September 5, 2013. Filed under Editorials,Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry