With No Finance Committee Discussion Scheduled by BOS, Former Member Says 'I Will Not Move On'

The Board of Selectmen heard concerns at a meeting last month about the Finance Committee shake up that took place following this year's Annual Town Meeting.

Residents expressed worries that the changes were made because the replaced members shared a dissenting opinions, and they asked the Board of Selectmen to add an agenda item to Tuesday night's meeting to have a discussion on the Finance Committee situation.

That discussion point was not a part of the agenda when it was created by newly selected chairman Chuck Woodard. Bob Stein, one of the Finance Committee members who was replaced, finds this to be a concerning development.

Stein wrote a statement to read during the public comments section of Tuesday's meeting, during which he says he will not simply let his concerns fade away. What are your thoughts on the topic? Let us know in the comments section.

Below is former Finance Committee member Bob Stein's prepared address to the Board of Selectmen in its entirety.

I appear tonight again with several topics to bring to your attention. 

In the last Board of Selectmen meeting, 3 citizens requested your involvement to have public hearings on the actions behind the recent terminations of FINCOM members.  As dissenting voices and one of the recently terminated members, we voiced concern against actions of the town manager in increasing the DPW capital spending to nearly twice what the DPW Director requested and we were removed.  Myself and another resident were removed from FINCOM because of our dissenting voices and fiscal conservative opinions.  This does not and should not disqualify us from serving in our roles. 

Despite 3 different requests BOS involvement to review the recent FINCOM member terminations, I am very disappointed to learn late last week from Mr. Woodard that all 3 requests were denied and as Chairman, he will not be including them as an agenda item. 

Perfectly Legal.  Recently you, Mr. Woodard informed me that Town Moderators actions were perfectly legal.  Mr. Woodard, you are a retired banking executive and I’m certain there were times in your career that you witnessed things that were perfectly legal but you knew they were ethically and morally wrong.  

Overstepping her boundaries.  Town Manager Valente overstepped her boundaries and sent an email on March 19, within 24 hours after her warrant articles were denied FINCOM support and informed us our votes were invalid based on her loose interpretation of Open Meeting Law.  Her intent was clear, the Town Warrant would not reflect the opinion of FINCOM. 

Open Meeting Law, and violations thereof, are the responsibility of Town Clerk.  Anyone with any public service could easily see her opinion was flawed, yet that opinion had apparently been confirmed by Town Counsel.   

Town Counsel that has despite all his years of service has sadly, with your support, become a sad situation in this community.  Yet, you, the selectman just reappointed this man to another 3 year term despite more than 30 years in his role.  His appointment was suggested by Town Moderator Myron Fox, who, dare I say has lost a lot of my respect following his involvement in the FINCOM terminations. Do you honestly believe it when Myron Fox suggested his reappointment that he was the best candidate to serve the residents of Sudbury? Mr. Fox believes he is the best the Commonwealth has to offer? 

When challenged about his decision and my demand to show proof of his decision on the March 17FINCOM vote, Town Counsel respectfully admitted his mistake and rescinded his decision. Had I not contacted the Attorney General and confirmed the interpretation which led to my challenge of Town Manager’s intent to void our votes, the town warrant would have reflected his inaccurate legal opinion. 

Keep Politics out of FINCOM:  FINCOM is expected to be apolitical.  Until the two unexpected terminations of myself and another fellow conservative, there were two applicants and two positions. Then after the deadline, two more applicants sent their applications in 10 days after the deadline, one on the eve of Town Meeting.  

Select applicants were allowed to submit applications late.  Unfortunately, this secret process excluded the general population the same extension. I personally knew two people who were going to apply yet when they called the town manager’s office, they were informed the deadline had passed.  Despite a historically public process, applicants were also not distributed to FINCOM members.  Someone from within knew something was about to happen within the membership appointments. 

Silence is Consent and a Tainted FINCOM:  Your inaction and silence is consent about what happened in the FINCOM terminations. These actions that your silence is endorsing have tainted Sudbury’s Finance Committee. I call on all four newly appointed FINCOM members to resign immediately. Upon their resignation, the application process should start over with public requests for applicants, public interviews, public voting, and probationary appointments.  

For a committee that touts so much process and deliberation, you seem to be overlooking that standard on this one and I gotta ask. 

Why is it that the BOS doesn’t want a hearing on this topic?  

Why is it that the BOS doesn’t care that the process wasn’t followed but concerns itself in ConCom decisions? 

Why is it that the BOS doesn’t want to opine on the actions of the Town Manager, Counsel, or Moderator in this action? 

Did any of your lobby applicants to apply or Town Moderator to appoint any of these members? 

This town has seen enough scandals in recent years, this can still be corrected.  Mr. Woodard, I supported you in your bid for BOS with a belief that you were different. That you would stand against the establishment when necessary for the betterment of the town. Your failure to act on this situation and publically review what happened and the actions taken on myself and another FINCOM member have me disillusioned about how I could have been so wrong in my support of your BOS bid. 

And you say, let’s move on. I will not move on. This is not about me. This is about the rights of this town’s residents and the integrity of FINCOM. This nonsense of manipulating votes and decisions has to stop. Let's stop being cowards about confrontation and find out what happened. I will be here every week until we have a little sunshine in this town.  

Thank you for the opportunity to speak.