LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Haarde Has Earned the Chairmanship

As voters, we require transparency, fairness, and equity from our elected officials. It is in a spirit of fairness that Sudbury registered voters should request that the Sudbury Board of Selectmen consistently adhere to the tradition of multiple decades wherein a Sudbury selectman in the third and last year of his or her term and having effectively, faithfully and honorably served the citizens of Sudbury become Chair of the Sudbury Board of Selectmen.

Selectmen Drobinski and O’Brien have been the beneficiaries of this same chair-process and tradition spanning decades. Mr. Drobinski has been the chair five times since 1987 while Mr. O’Brien has been chair three times and most recently for the fourth time with Mr. Drobinski’s singular vote.

Selectman Bob Haarde has served Sudbury well and honorably, but was denied the chair of the Sudbury Board of Selectmen. Messrs. Drobinski and O’Brien together abrogated policy and tradition when they re-elected O’Brien to a second consecutive chairmanship. They gave no explanation of justification for doing so. As a result, Selectman Haarde has been denied the opportunity he has earned to serve as chair in his third term as selectman while his predecessors have benefited from the tradition for years.

In the spirit of fair play and transparency, the Board of Selectmen must schedule, debate, and re-vote chair of the Board of Selectmen immediately.

Sincerely,

David R. Manjarrez
Firecut Lane