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May 15th 2008

There has been ample opportunity to address the project. One of their own called for a clerk of the works. That was summarily dismissed. In April of 2001 a proposal was floated that would have made the Permanent Building Committee project coordinator. That was immediately voted down by the Ballfield Committee. Citizens have called for project updates to be announced at Selectmen’s meetings. That idea died on the vine.

More recently selectmen were forced to ‘ask’ questions when charges of questionable mining were raised. Unable to ignore the issue they instead chose to accept and endorse a vague and self-serving ‘explanation’ of profit taking at town expense submitted by ballfield chair Ted Alexiades. This shameful display of political and moral cowardice on the part of the majority of the Selectmen is among the most shameful chapters in recent political history.

Because of our leadership’s failure to provide responsible oversight, events surrounding this project are now being actively investigated by authorities outside of the town’s sphere of political influence. Whether or not these investigations result in criminal indictments is not the issue. The grand jury or any other of investigative agency could, after review, determine to take no action. That too is possible. The intervention of a outside agencies is clear indication of our inability to police ourselves.

Let’s look at what we have seen so far: Citizens taking polygraph tests, testimony before a federal grand jury, an arson fire, cadaver sniffing dogs, subpoenas, the surrendering of town records, the confiscation and collection of crime scene photos, a state police survey crew, missing critical documents, and a lack of record keeping. This sick scenario of events has not been taken from some grade B movie, but is what our community is now being subjected. One crime that has surely emerged from these events, is the costs that are steadily mounting above and beyond the $1.8 million ballfield budget. Town Counsel and Special Counsel don’t come cheap, offer no volume discounts, or group rates, and are being paid from our collective pockets.