CARVER – A dispute between Select Board member Robert Belbin and Finance Committee Chairman Alan Germain will prevent a Finance Committee member from being appointed to the Town Administrator Screening Committee, at least for the time being.
Germain is accusing Belbin of interfering and tampering with the vote of the Finance Committee recommending his appointment. Belbin countered that he stands by his opinion that Germain should not be the Finance Committee’s representative without specifying why he should not.
“You cannot tamper with the vote of the Finance Committee,” Germain said.
The Select Board was supposed to vote Tuesday night on the appointment of Town Administrator Screening Committee members representing the Planning Board, School Committee and Finance Committee.
Instead, only Bruce Maki representing the Planning Board and Jenn Pratt representing the School Committee were appointed, both unanimously, by votes of 4-0.
Select Board member Jim Hoffman was absent from the meeting, and twice the vote to approve Germain was 2-2, meaning that he was not appointed. The board could still vote again at a future meeting, with Hoffman casting the deciding vote.
Germain asked for the right to respond to Belbin rather than the other way around but was directed by Select Board Chairman Mark Townsend that he would have to speak first. Germain and Belbin would not comment on Belbin’s reasons for rejecting Germain as the Finance Committee representative.
Belbin said he’s against Germain being one of the Screening Committee members who has a hand in deciding who the next town administrator should be and requested that the Finance Committee instead vote to recommend someone else.
Germain shared an email that Belbin sent to him Dec. 1 that was directed to Finance Committee members. In it, Belbin states that as one member of the board he does not think Germain is the best candidate to represent them or the residents of Carver.
“I cannot tell you why I have come to this decision, but have requested Alan step down. But, he refuses,” Belbin wrote. “He submitted a letter to the Select Board I feel was not appropriate.”
Germain emailed Townsend to ask whether there was a vote by the Select Board to “approach the Finance Committee this way.” Townsend replied that there was no vote of the board or even a discussion about making such a request and that Belbin acted on his own.
Finance Committee members refused Belbin’s request, with Germain sharing emails stating as much from Ron Clarke, Bill Cullum, Patrick Meagher and Elizabeth Sulger.
In his email, Clarke writes that Belbin has reached a new low in violating the minimum standards a Select Board memshould follow when interacting with other town boards, committees, department heads, employees and citizens, calling his behavior reprehensible.
“To attempt to bully and manipulate another board, in this instance, the Finance Committee, is so beneath how a member of the Select Board should comport themselves that I am almost at a loss for words,” he said. “I have not seen the likes of this in my 34 year of town service.”
Select Board member Sarah Hewins said she would never tell another town board or commission what to do or how to conduct themselves.
“I think given the emails that we have that it’s pretty clear that other members of the Finance Committee felt the same way,” she said.
Townsend agreed that the Finance Committee’s unanimous vote in support of appointing Germain should be accepted.
“I really think it’s completely wrong for this board to say to the Finance Committee sorry, we know you unanimously supported Mr. Germain but we don’t feel comfortable with that,” he said.
Germain said if he isn’t appointed to the Screening Committee, then no Finance Committee member would serve on it, at least while he’s the chairman.
“We will not take this matter back up,” he said.
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