To the Editor:

I want to take this opportunity to define my actions and positions over the past two years rather than have them distorted by my opponents:

 Trying to get additional athletic fields was a long and frustrating struggle for many reasons. That we are now close to accomplishing that goal is something that is near and dear to me. I will work hard as Selectman to see those fields of dreams completed in as timely a fashion as possible.  

When consulting the town's attorney for his advice on the legality of an action, I think that advice should be considered. When an action is deemed illegal, it is the responsibility of the selectmen to deny the first selectman the money to do the job, i.e. the installation of Stop signs.  I don't believe in paying for legal advice only to ignore it. 

Our Town Charter enumerates the 15 duties of our full time 1st Selectman. But this is beneath the umbrella sentence that states all these duties fall "under the general policy direction of the BOARD of Selectmen". I believe the town is better served by cooperation among our selectmen who share the responsibilities and whose majority vote moves things along.

 There are so many nuances pertaining to Town Employees, a whole column could be written on this subject.  My position calls for accurate job descriptions as the logical starting point.  Once that is accomplished, the next step is to develop objective quantity and quality measurements of their work performance. You should be aware that most Town Employees have never been evaluated on their job performance and therefore most "supervisors" have never given evaluations.  A lot of foundation work needs to be done to insure that objective, structured evaluations by trained supervisors occurs.

When expenditures of $5,000 or more are anticipated, the Town is expected to follow a detailed procedure of checks and balances that is intended to protect the Town from any abuses. This is just sound fiscal practice, period.

I am a cautious and thorough selectman, not an obstructionist.  For the record I'm about a 95% "yes" man on all the BOS motions made.  The 5% of issues I've been a "no" man on have been for very specific reasons.

In closing folks, it is election season. I ask for your vote as an experienced member of the Board of Selectmen. I do my homework on issues and will continue to do so. I will also continue to bring a judicious thoughtfulness to town governance.

Ed Sipples
Board of Selectmen