Observations on the Town’s Year-end Reorganization Meeting
January 2009
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Since most of you miss most of Milan’s Town Board meetings, let me tell you, big stuff is going on in our little town!
First of all, you’d probably like to know that only two Town Board members ever seem interested in actually doing the work it takes to conduct the Town’s business responsibly and ethically – Democrats Ross Williams and Diane May. The others – Republican Supervisor Dick Barrett, and his Republican colleagues, Bobbi Egan and David Byrne – seem to think it’s perfectly OK to do virtually no preparatory homework, and to subsequently run the Town based only on the two hours it takes each month to conduct that month’s meeting. They continue to vote down workshops (which their “majority” status allows them to do easily and readily); they continue to ignore questions and emails and attempts at discussion from their Democratic counterparts; they continue to discourage resident participation. The only thing they seem to do with any energy at all is watch the clock at each meeting, obviously wishing the time would pass more quickly so they might get out of there. Oh, and yes, they do seem to jerk to attention when the behind-the-scenes puppeteers yank their strings and move their mouths for them.
I gotta tell ya, this is really bad news! And it’s getting badder each time! The year-end reorganization meeting on December 30, 2008--apart from budgeting, arguably the most critical meeting for the Town, as it sets the stage and appoints the players for the upcoming year--was probably the most offensive I’ve witnessed to date.
From where I sat, here were the highlights of that meeting . . .
In their exasperation, Mr. Williams and Ms. May repeatedly raised their hands, pointing out that 2008’s closing financial statements were not completed, and that the Town was therefore essentially crippled from going forward into the new year without a balancing of the books. Our Town Supervisor, whose most important function is that of chief financial officer, simply stated that he “would look into it.” What???!!!
In their exasperation, Mr. Williams and Ms. May repeatedly raised their hands, questioning exactly how Mr. Barrett (who has admitted that he is unfamiliar with the bookkeeping software) planned to make progress on the Town’s bookkeeping by virtue of “sitting together” with the Town’s new bookkeeper. She’s the third bookkeeper in 2008, and she’s also unfamiliar with the bookkeeping software and reportedly has no municipal service in her background. Ms. May went on to question Mr. Barrett, who lobbied to raise this new bookkeeper’s salary to a record high of over $24,000, about exactly what her duties were. Originally her salary was to include the additional task of processing payroll in-house. Ms. May asked Mr. Barrett to explain why he has now decided to keep the payroll processing as is with an outsource agency, thereby double-billing the Town – and our taxes! – for this service. Yet again, Mr. Barrett claimed that he “would look into it.” What???!!!
In their exasperation, Mr. Williams and Ms. May repeatedly raised their hands, citing the fact that the escrow accounts were also in disarray, and that the Town – and our taxes! – were therefore bearing the burden of charges that should have been paid from these escrow accounts. Ms. May, who had apparently raised escrow issues with Mr. Barrett on a number of occasions over these past weeks, took the initiative to spend a few minutes with the bookkeeper before the meeting, giving her direction on how to generate one such account as an example of how simple it was to produce these updates. In further discussion of escrow issues, Ms. May also raised the question of interest with Mr. Barrett and questioned him on how this was being applied to the various escrow accounts, as it did not seem to appear in this one particular summary. Over the course of this dialogue, Ms. May tried (umpteen times) to disabuse Mr. Barrett of his insistent belief that it was the planning clerk’s responsibility to maintain and update these escrow accounts, explaining (umpteen times) that it was rather his and the bookkeeper’s responsibility. After detailing all this specific and deliberate information, Ms. May was nevertheless met the following response from Mr. Barrett: He “would look into it . . . with the planning clerk.” What???!!!
In their exasperation, Mr. Williams and Ms. May repeatedly raised their hands, requesting copies of the year-end reports from the Town’s various Boards and Committees--some of these (e.g,. the Conservation Advisory Council) quite important to an effective conducting of the Town’s business. The response from Mr. Barrett: He “would look into it.” What???!!!
In their exasperation, Mr. Williams and Ms. May repeatedly raised their hands, stating that they were appalled to find Milan entering 2009 without the Board’s having designated a town planner or a law firm for the Town. They further questioned why their Republican counterparts were dragging their feet, and why the Town had still not even screened or interviewed prospective law firms. As has become his custom, Mr. Barrett vamped for an answer, finally claiming that interviews would be set up over the upcoming weeks. However, Mr. Barrett failed to reassure Mr. Williams or Ms. May (or the public) that he agreed that only law firms with municipal experience should be considered. What???!!!
And perhaps saddest (and most outrageous) of all, Mr. Williams and Ms. May, in their continued exasperation, repeatedly raised their hands, offering motion after motion demanding that thoughtfulness and diligence be exercised prior to the formation of the Town’s 2009 various Boards and Committees and the subsequent appointment of their chairs and members. The Republican majority vote shot down each and every motion. As a result, many of Milan’s Boards and Committees for this year were configured without benefit of definition of mission, scope, or authority; and just as many of them were populated with members that clearly excluded bipartisanship, related experience, or any meaningful intention to incorporate the Town’s citizens. One glaring example was the appointment of Jim Jeffreys (Milan’s former Republican Town Supervisor, whose portrait, I am told, hangs prominently in the Dutchess Hall of Shame) to the Planning Board. WHAT???!!! (But more on this at a later date.)
So, my fellow residents, at each meeting it becomes increasingly obvious that our Republican majority is running our lovely little Milan into the ground. These guys don’t seem to believe they actually have to do any work while occupying their Town Board seats; instead, they seem to believe that their job is kowtowing to the good ol’ boys, taking government orders like waiters at the diner, delivering promises like so many slices of cheesecake. It seems our Town is thereby destined to return to the good ol’ days, where favors and pay-offs and under-the-table deals – things we’d all thought to be part of Milan’s not-too-long-ago history – will once again become the rule. Like before, it won’t be what you know and how you go about it . . . it will only be who you know and how much they like you that matters.
As if all this weren’t philosophically repugnant enough, the biggest real-life implication of this kind of “stewardship” is that while our uncaring Republican Board members carry out their orders dictated from the back room and delight in their majority smugness, and while the calculating puppet masters manipulate our government and pat one another on their respective backs for “taking back” the Town, our property values will drop while our taxes go up and up. (Witness November’s budget meetings if you think I’m exaggerating.)
So at each meeting I become more and more outraged. So much so, that the editor of milaninsider.com has graciously consented to include my “Outraged Milan Resident” column on an on-going basis. I will therefore regale you regularly with my outrage in the hope that, yes, you will become informed . . . but more in the hope that you will start showing up at these meetings and become equally outraged.
For those of you who do not know the schedule, the Town Board meets regularly on the second Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m. For 2009, then, the meeting dates are: January 12; February 9; March 9; April 13; May 11; June 8; July 13; August 10; September 14; October 12 (possibly changed to October 13 in honor of Columbus Day); November 9; December 14. These dates do not include special meetings for budgets, year-end issues, etc., which are scheduled ad hoc.
And one last note . . . though I imagine many of you think you might know who the “Outraged Milan Resident” is, I am choosing to remain anonymous. The fact is, I’d rather not have any of these ol’ boys banging on my door in the middle of the night, as they are apparently not shy about doing. (If you doubt this is likely or even possible, just ask Diane May.)
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