Serious Doubts

The opportunity to right a listing ship was lost last night (09-21-09) as a majority of the Board of Selectmen was unwilling to appoint any of the three finalists presented. One finalist, John D’Agostino, who served as the Town Administrator in Mansfield for 12 years, received support from Selectman Scott Garieri and myself. Both of us it appears, based upon the discussions held (audio in right sidebar), were in favor of offering Mr. D’Agostino the position of Sturbridge Town Administrator.

I’ll not comment too deeply at this point; the 29 minute audio clearly conveys my reasoning for supporting Mr. D’Agostino as my primary choice for the position. As well, it demonstrates my willingness to support any of the 3 finalists had someone been willing to work towards a consensus, based upon my belief that each possessed the ability to Administrate on behalf of the Board of Selectmen and the Town of Sturbridge.

Though I disagree with the reasoned rationale presented by Selectmen Ted Goodwin and Hal White as it related to their inability to support any of the three candidates, I do believe their decision was based upon purely genuine reservations maintained by them. As I stated last night during our discussions, Ted Goodwin is an honorable man and despite my disagreement with him on this issue, I have great respect for him and believe him true to his word. Though not stated last night, the same sentiment holds true for the position taken by Hal White. I believe his position was based upon honorable and genuine reservations held by him.

I do however; have serious doubts as it pertains to the position taken by the “Chairman” of the Board of Selectmen. I am unable to fundamentally view her position as anything other than self-serving and self-directed. Considering the full magnitude of what I view as influence pedaling and process manipulation detailed in a previous post (At All Costs), I am left to conclude that Mrs. Blanchard’s refusal to support any of the finalists stems solely from the absence of her husband’s name among them.