(10/16/07)  There has been some discussion lately about the role of the Select Board.  The October 15th meeting was a vivid example of why those discussions need to continue.

It featured lengthy consideration of a warrant article proposing zoning changes for the intersection of College Street and South East Street. Select Board member Rob Kusner, with significant contributions from citizen activist Vince O’Connor, focused on flooding and drainage matters.  They raised issues such as the current location of brooks shown on historic maps; the elevations of drain pipe inlets and outlets; the creation of detainment basins for new construction projects that increase impervious surfaces; the expectation that global warming will increase flooding and requires adjusting wetland standards accordingly; speculation about storm drain inefficiency during a past hurricane, et cetera.  There was also talk about the need for bus stops, sidewalks and bike lanes, and talk about conservation and climate protection.

In short, it sounded like a public works meeting.  And a planning meeting.  And a bit of conservation meeting thrown in for good measure.  Why would that be appropriate or necessary when we have both a professional Town department and an appointed citizen committee dedicated to each of those areas? 

I am offended by the arrogance of this kind of discussion.  It presumes that the Select Board, collectively or individually, knows more than the Town staff and volunteers dedicated to these matters.           

Such discussions feel manipulative.  When nitty-gritty specifics are delved into at Select Board meetings, by members or by people in the audience, the details and the implied knowledge sound impressive and make observers think “What a good point!  Thank goodness that was mentioned!”  But that overlooks the fact that these points have already been given careful consideration by the staff and committees for whom doing so is their primary responsibility, and whose work largely occurs outside of the spotlight of ACTV and press coverage.            

Even pretending for a moment that the Select Board is “right,” this approach is bad process.  If the most basic functioning of the Town is dependent on the particular knowledge of each Select Board member, and if that body steers us clear of mistakes and disasters in various areas of municipal management, then that is a big problem.  Our staff, our departments, the various ways Town government is arranged – it all needs to work.  If it doesn’t work, we need to know that.  Just like parents who do their kids’ homework might think they are helping, they really aren’t, and they are masking some bigger problems.  So too if the Select Board is, or fancies itself, the safety net for a flawed system. 

Last night’s flood management lesson was just the most recent example of this kind of pedantic approach to issues.  We saw it with the Lincoln Ave. traffic cushions; we see it when restaurant liquor license approvals devolve into fire safety inquiries; we see it when budget discussions second-guess the complex projections of the Finance Department; we see it when interactions with the School Committee become explorations of class size and educational theory.  If we’re paying attention, we see it all the time at Select Board meetings.

People bring specific knowledge, skills and life experience to all their endeavors.  The Select Board is no different, and we all benefit from that.  But that does not mean that the Select Board is the appropriate place to deploy all of one’s knowledge or personal passions – particularly when the topic is one already charged to another department, board or committee.  It abuses Select Board power and undermines the function and authority of those other entities.  And it bogs down the meetings, taking precious time away from issues that should be prioritized, and that are the Select Board’s rightful purview.  

There is knowledge, and then there is good judgment.  The Select Board displays plenty of the former and not enough of the latter.  Select Board as “know-it-all” is far from the policy-making role that body is supposed to fill. 

-- Stephanie O’Keeffe