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Dear Editor,
I’m writing to express my displeasure at the continued waste of time and energy being spent by certain Select Board members who have used their positions to denigrate the contributions and reputation of other town volunteers and elected officials. As a resident who would like to be more engaged in meaningful ways to help our town become better and more welcoming, I have sat through too many meetings where Chris Haley and Carlo Bacci have held hostage the real work of the Select Board. I have witnessed complaints by both men about personal issues and perceived slights with no regard for the amount of time it has taken away from doing the Town’s business.
On the hot evening of July 9, I went to listen to my friends speak during public comment to correct misinformation that was spread by various town members. The misinformation had serious implications in the ongoing question as to why former Select Board member Jackie McCarthy resigned over Open Meeting Law violations. My friends both spoke of the need for accurate information being the basis for any decision-making and both asked the board to work together to move forward in an effort to get town business done.
After waiting over an hour to be invited back into the meeting after an Executive Session to approve the June 4th Executive Session meeting minutes, we were treated to an exhausting display of personal attacks and insinuations by Mr. Bacci and Mr. Haley toward fellow Select Board member Karen Herrick. Open Meeting Law complaints by two citizens led to the rehashing of months of dysfunction and arguments. Mr. Bacci accused Ms. Herrick of lying. Mr. Haley badgered Ms. Herrick to admit to lying, when she clearly stated any misdeeds she was guilty of were unintended.
It was uncomfortable, it was unpleasant and it was unproductive! Here is a link to video of last night’s meeting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuhqiWlWh94
Mr. Bacci stated that he unequivocally denied the accusation waged against him in one of the Open Meeting Law complaints. He simultaneously argued that the events had happened five months ago and were therefore hard to recapture, but that we should believe him at his word that he hadn’t done what was complained about. Upon hearing this, Select Board member Mark Dockser affirmed that he would believe Carlo and trust that there was no intentional wrong-doing, but he wished for the same standard of treatment for all board members. I was at previous meetings where Mr. Dockser denied harmful accusations and insinuations made against him by Mr. Haley and he was not granted the same respect. Mr. Haley has been asked on multiple occasions and by several people to apologize for implicating Mr. Dockser without proof and he has refused to do so, stating emphatically that he ‘stands behind every word he has said’.
The board voted on the Open Meeting Complaint against Mr Bacci in which he was asked to step down as Chairman and it was determined a violation had not occurred by a vote of 4 with Ms. Herrick abstaining.
The second complaint on the agenda was more involved and accused other members of the Select Board of violations calling for Ms. Herrick to step down as Vice Chair. Ms. Herrick stated that the information being presented was an inaccurate depiction of the nature of her text conversations with former Board member McCarthy. While Mr. Bacci admitted talking to Ms. McCarthy to gather advice and assistance with understanding a hiring process, he firmly denied saying anything about who he was voting for. When Ms. Herrick made the same case for herself, both Mr. Bacci and Mr. Haley interrupted her, spoke harshly to her and said she was lying.
Mr. Haley kept pushing Ms. Herrick to admit to lying about something she maintained as truth. Mr. Haley declared, (and I paraphrase), ‘he wasn’t going to vote her out as Vice Chair if she would just admit to having talked with Jackie.’ He also insinuated that she could have prevented much of the strife around this ongoing situation by coming forward with information sooner. It wasn’t clear how Ms. Herrick could have come forward with information she didn’t know was problematic.
I find it the height of hypocrisy that Mr. Haley openly implied on several occasions in previous Select Board meetings that Mark Dockser was the cause of Ms. McCarthy’s resignation, and after it was clear that Mr. Dockser had not been the reason for her decision to leave the board; as Mr. Bacci said in last night’s meeting, “Mark didn’t do anything wrong,” Mr. Haley still refuses to apologize to Mr. Dockser for implying that he was involved in some kind of nefarious wrong-doing. Yet, he and Mr. Bacci were insisting that accountability was necessary and therefore Ms. Herrick should admit to being wrong. Mr. Haley demands transparency, but refuses to be open about why he accused an innocent person of wrong-doing and when proven wrong won’t acknowledge the mistake. He raises his voice and complains of being misunderstood and misrepresented, but when others experience the same, he won’t admit his part in that.
Last night was a bleak view into the decline of productive political effectiveness. Personal, emotional mud-slinging took the place of honest, self-reflective behavior. In the end Ms. Herrick acknowledged, in a calm demeanor, that if the text conversations she engaged in were in fact violations she would accept the correction and vow to do better. With the advice of Town Counsel, the board then voted to address the complaint in a way that stipulated that while Open Meeting law had been violated the Select Board wished to move forward with more training on Open Meeting Law and a promise to do better.
The next item on the agenda was to discuss a reorganization of the Select Board. Mr. Dockser opened with a calm reminder that the board should be learning how to work together before any discussion of reorganizing. He asked Mr. Bacci whether it wouldn’t be more productive to review the code of conduct and determine a strategy for cooperation rather than discussing the. reorganization of positions on the board first. Mr. Bacci immediately returned to his frustration and concerns about alleged misconduct by Ms. Herrick. He and Mr. Haley returned to berating Ms. Herrick over issues that had prior been resolved.
Ms. Herrick made a motion to adjourn and Mr. Dockser seconded it. Reluctantly, Mr. Bocci went to a vote.
A vote was taken on adjournment and recently elected Select Board member Melissa Murphy voted “Yes.” Mr. Bacci looked at her and said, “Really? Interesting.” Watch here, Had he assumed she would back him up in keeping the onslaught going? I don’t know, but thank you Ms. Murphy, for seeing the need to call it a night. I appreciate that. Mr. Dockser and Ms. Herrick also voted to end the meeting and Mr. Bacci and Mr. Haley voted no. I believe they would have kept going in the most unproductive, unkind, undignified ways.
I entreat you members of the Reading Select Board to prioritize finding a way to work together, with respect and a vision for our community, to bring an end to this waste of precious time and energy. We all have lives to live, friends to celebrate, families to love and you are stealing that from us.
Sincerely,
Lynn Peters
Berkeley St
