Town of Braintree

What do you think would happen if we hired a School Superintendent who wasn't certified by the state to administer a public school system? We give the person two years to become certified is the town's reply? Think the state Board of Education would say nah, can't be done?
What about a Fire Chief appointment of a person who hasn't done one day on the job as a firefighter? Think the department would be in chaos in short order (hmm, like the Sweeney days when he was hired despite never having worked in the field ever before - what a mistake proven then).
We hire a Police Chief who doesn't know which end of the gun the bullet exits from, but is hired because he has connections? Hmm, think the cops would rebel?
We hire a Town Engineer who lacks the engineering degree the job requires, but the DPW director makes the hire anyways of a person and gives that person two years to get his/her engineering degree?
We hire a Building Inspector who isn't state certified, but the person is a nice guy, so why not? Well, inspectors have to be state certified, so the town gives the person two years to get certified? What about the street plans that need an engineer's stamp during the interim?
The point being made is that both appointments in the management staff of the Water & Sewer Department (nice guys notwithstanding) should never have been allowed and if our DPW director's hirings aren't open for review by our Selectmen, then the process is broken and needs to be fixed in May at town meeting.

By Bernie

BELD's Hirings Questioned?

BELD last year hired Arthur Graziano, formerly employed at Peapod - that grocery delivery service as their Human Relations Director. He was untrained, inexperienced working in the public sector for employment purposes. A nice guy for sure as I was impressed with his candor when he was a member prior to appointment of the Charter Commission, but Human Relations Director? He makes nearly $85,000 for the maybe 80 employee department while the town's personnel director makes about $70,000 for maybe three times the number of employees? Where's the logic except that BELD throws bucks around AND BONUSES as if they're sacred cows in the public sector. Something is wrong with that picture.

and then along came Sweeney

we all remember that fiasco,don't we?
and how much it cost the town to get out from underneath that selectmen
connected executive secretary that launched that salary into the stratosphere.and celano and his sorry tale at water and sewer: being paid
full salary on leave from the town
as well as another municipality as well
both tales included trips to SUE CITY.

By one of the smith brothers

The problem with this

picture is the form of government. No one is accountable for the individual departments, they are all like little kingdoms! Each one can do whatever it likes and who's to say no.
Beld is like the school system, they have special dispensation from the legislature, they are autonomous of the town control.
They only way to have uniformity in the towns affairs is a rational change in the type
of government we have.

We need to choose the best type, without much more delay or we will have these same problems again and again. I have no idea what the best form for Braintree would be, we tried a study committee and that was a major fiasco, having a mayor and a city council would be somewhat like a board of selectman with a permanent leader

If we are serious about a more stable situation in this town, stand up and vote or talk about what you believe. You can say what you will about this form of town communications, that is easy to hide your identity behind a false name, hide what you look like, but it is effective at exchanging ideas quickly.

Perhaps an internet poll to debate town issues and take a poll, there would be a need for some form of verifiable password, perhaps a phone call made and returned with a time limited token exchanged to secure the vote. Ask frank report what I am talking about! Enough

By We need a new government