Much has been said about Marty's "getting things done" and his "meticulous" attention to detail. Although my family and I are in the midst of dealing with the tragic death of a family member, I felt it was necessary to set the record straight about just how these much-touted accomplishments really happen – and at what cost.
I have first hand and very personal knowledge of how Mr. Klein deals with requests for details. He doesn't supply them. He is often impulsive and anyone who has dealt with him about town business will tell you he can't stand details.
While Marty may be a man of action who "gets things done", in his haste he has sometimes hurt the town. That haste has made waste and cost us money. Here are a few quick, off the top of my head examples:
- Marty unilaterally purchased ($2,500) a new fingerprinting time clock for the Town Crew that clearly states in the product instructions it will not work on dirty or greasy hands. The clock is now unplugged and shoved in the corner . This is an unbudgeted waste of town money that Marty took from the Town Crew's budget.
- He unilaterally shut off the heat at our "Dog Pound" last winter. That resulted in the pipes freezing and the water heater bursting costing the town over $3,000 to replace.
- He unilaterally instructed a tree service contractor not to do the more expensive, "climb the tree method" recommended by the contractor in pruning trees in one of our old historical cemeteries last year. Instead Marty told the contractor to drive over grave stones and prune the branches from the bucket truck. The result was numerous broken grave stones that cannot be repaired or replaced.
- He unilaterally hired contractors to do town work in excess of the $5,000 limit that the Town Charter clearly specifies should follow a checks and balances procedure.
- He failed to communicate to the BOS and BOF that bonding the Bosco property brought restrictions that eliminated the option of selling the farmhouse. This could cost the town hundreds of thousands of dollars.
- He unilaterally gave instructions to demolish the Bosco Carriage House, much to the displeasure and surprise of both the Historical Society and the BOS.
- He unilaterally closed the Reservoir Road Bridge to all traffic. I have publicly questioned him on three occasions. His first response was the State of Ct instructed him to do so in writing. I asked for a copy of this. The second time I asked where this documentation was he said he forgot. The third time I asked, he said the State instructions were verbal. I'm still not convinced the bridge couldn't be safely re-opened for one lane of restricted weight traffic.
- He unilaterally closed Lovers Lane last summer on numerous occasions and a Hatfield versus McCoy atmosphere developed. The majority of the BOS voted to force Marty to consult with the BOARD before any more summer closings were to be made. Several days later, Marty ignored the BOS vote and unilaterally closed Lovers Lane again. He unilaterally refused to repair its unsafe potholes as well. The majority of the Board recently had to out vote Marty to get this barebones maintenance done.
"Unilaterally" is the key word here. This town has, as its executive branch, a board of three selectmen. All three are elected and all three need to share in the decision making process. Pitfalls and mistakes can be avoided when three people consider an issue the details of which one person may overlook.
All of Killingworth's eligible voters – the "electors" – make up our legislative body and are, at least theoretically, expected not only to choose those executives, but to guide them. When you cast your ballot this November, please consider the type of town leadership that best meets Killingworth's needs.
Ed Sipples
Current BOS Member