Pasted below is an editorial that appeared in the December 19, 2011 edition of the Ipswich Chronicle, the weekly newspaper and on-line Wicked Local.com publication owned by GateHouse News Service.
While it is commentary concerning a re-examination of the powers of the town manager for one particular community, the broader message is an important statement regarding the value of professional management.
Fred Turkington, Wayland Town Administrator
Town Manager Robert Markel will be leaving for his new post as town manager in Kittery, Maine, at the end of December.
Markel’s departure has thrown more than the search for a replacement into high relief — the Board of Selectmen is currently debating redefining the town manager’s role and responsibilities in Ipswich town government.
Currently Ipswich has what’s called a “strong town manger” form of government.
Essentially the Board of Selectmen hires the town manager to run the town on a day-to-day basis. The town manager appoints all town officers, supervises them and sets compensation. The selectmen have no direct role in supervision or appointment of staff. The town manager appoints the Board of Health, the town planners, town clerks, purchasing agents, fiscal officers and has control of town property.
The selectmen appoint the town accountant and treasurer, the Electric Light manager and the Zoning Board of Appeals and they also have statutory and licensing powers.
Now, some selectmen want to at least explore redefining the town manager’s powers.
“We need to look at other strong town manager charters and compare what they have for the duties of town manager and possibly make adjustments to our own charter,” Selectman Shirley Berry said last week.
If this means curtailing the town manager’s powers and giving them to the Board of Selectmen, this is a bad idea.
One need look no further than the infighting and squabbles plaguing the Board of Selectmen this year — with charges and counter charges in a smear campaign via the state Ethics Commission — as a warning sign as to exactly how bad an idea devolving power to the selectmen would be.
The fact is, running a town today is a tough, complex job and beyond the scope of citizen volunteers.
With environmental regulations, health and safety regulations, the constant threat of lawsuits of every stripe and from every corner and the constant fiscal pressure on the budget and services, the job calls for a professional manager.
We wouldn’t consider handing over the School Department or the Police Department to a dedicated volunteer, and we shouldn’t consider it for town management.
The selectmen need to focus on a strong town manager candidate to replace Markel. This person should be an independent voice, come from outside the community and have the professional credentials and background to run Ipswich.
Just as importantly, the new town manager should have the latitude and power to put that experience, independence and fresh approach toward managing the town.
