Middleboro #1

During the past year, many of us have had an opportunity to meet residents of Middleboro and listen to their suggestions, ideas, complaints.
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One of the most striking impressions I gathered from listening to voters was the sense of disenfranchisement, that no one listened or responded to complaints. Problems brought to the attention of the Board of Selectmen are ignored. The unnecessary frustration level was evident.

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A complaint was presented to the BOS at Monday's meeting (3/17) that will be ignored.
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Residents and Town Employees of Middleboro offer an untapped resource.
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Because the single Monday Night Selectmen's Meetings are frequently filled with hearings and important business, the idea has been tossed around to offer a Saturday Morning work session intended to process the town's bills for payment, offer ideas and suggestions in a less formal environment, listen to voters, speak with department heads.

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The disconnect between the Board of Selectmen and department heads became embarrassingly conspicuous last year by the questions posed by the Selectmen that clearly indicated a lack of familiarity.

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The need to maintain a dialogue is obvious.

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It has been suggested that periodic reporting of the business of each department would allow voters to understand the changes in needs during the course of the year.

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Rather than publishing the departmental statistics in only the Annual Town Report presented to voters, wouldn't a monthly or quarterly comparison of the previous year's figures provide for a greater understanding?

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And few residents understand the responsibilities that fall within the jurisdiction of each department.

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Many of the issues revolve around the lack of transparency which remains unchanged.

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If townspeople are paying the bills, shouldn't they have the information? Shouldn't their complaints be heard?

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One of the major concerns is the necessity of a full-time, experienced Town Manager who is an active and involved participant of THE TEAM.

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The following job listing appeared on the MMA site and hopefully represents sincere efforts by the BOS to fill the position in a timely fashion:

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Town Manager

Town of Middleborough

Middleborough, Mass. (population 21,100), is seeking a Town Manager. Salary up to $130,000. Town is 40 miles south of Boston near Route 495/24 interchange. Town Manager reports to five-member board of selectmen, elected for three-year terms. Town has a $60 million budget; 125 full-time employees. Town Manager should have strong communication skills, ability to work with citizens and department heads, strong financial management skills, and negotiation skills. B. A. required; M. A. desirable; 10 years of municipal management experience, or equivalent, required. Resume and cover letter by mail to MMA Consulting Group, Inc., 41 West St., Boston MA 02111, by March 31, 2008. EOE/AA. (exp. 3/31) MMA