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Two bids for Rockport Finance Committee seats shot down

By Jonathan L'Ecuyer
Staff writer
Published: May 29, 2008

ROCKPORT — Selectmen have rejected adding failed School Committee candidate Jonathan Ring to the Finance Committee — and they shot down a bid by a colleague to reconsider the panel's ousted chairman, Sandy Jacques, in a debate that included an argument between veteran and new selectmen.

The Finance Committee remains three members short after selectmen unanimously voted Tuesday night not to add Ring, saying he didn't have the financial background needed to help the board.

Jacques, the former committee chairman, was initially denied reappointment last month. Tuesday night, new Selectwoman Ellen Canavan sought to get her colleagues to reconsider Jacques' application for the finance panel, only to see her motion fail on a 3-2 vote.

Before the vote, Canavan said "another member of the board" called her and incorrectly informed her that Jacques had retained a lawyer and she should not talk to him. Canavan said she was frustrated that she heeded the advice after learning Jacques had not hired an attorney.

In response to Canavan's comment, Selectman Armand Aparo said he told Canavan not to speak with Jacques after an attorney approached Town Administrator Michael Racicot.

"Legal issues crop up from time to time, you don't know when they'll come, but you have to protect the town," said a visibly angered Aparo to Canavan. "When a lawyer approaches the town administrator, it's logical and reasonable to make the assumption that they are looking to use (information) against the town. I would've explained it was town business but you hung up on me. You have a responsibility to protect the town selectmen."

Canavan, in turn, responded by saying she was "tired of getting lectured on responsibilities" and "bullied about what I can talk about."

The Ring debate

Ring, who ran for School Committee on a platform of augmenting the school budget with school choice money, had pledged to work toward a plan on how best to manage school finances with a long-term vision amid the backdrop of economic uncertainty.

He told selectmen Tuesday that his continued dedication to those ends prompted him to seek appointment to the Finance Committee.

Aparo said the Finance Committee plays a significant role in town decisions and that he believes people seeking to serve on that board should have a financial degree or a background in municipal financial management.

Ring, who chairs an anti-gay marriage group called Cape Ann Family & Marriage, has a bachelor's degree in political science from Salem State College and has helped his father manage a family flea-market antiques business for several years.

"As part of my family business, I've seen some of the accounting processes involved and I think that lends itself to dealing with municipal finance quite well," Ring said before the interview. "After all, small businesses and towns have one thing in common — they are always trying to stretch each dollar as far as it can go."

Selectman Charles Clark told Ring he would most likely not be assigned to work on the school budget as that fiscal plan is a major undertaking reserved for more senior committee members. Ring, a third-generation Rockporter, said he was willing to work with other municipal department budgets as well, but selectmen thought Ring would be better suited to serving on another committee or board.

Canavan prefaced her comments by saying she liked Ring and came to know him through the Republican Town Committee. However, Canavan went on to say she didn't think the Finance Committee was the right fit for the 28-year-old Poole's Lane resident.

"I feel you're applying for the wrong committee," Canavan said. "My vision and understanding of what is substantial financial experience — I think of accounting, I think of financial management, I don't think of a table at the flea market as substantial financial management."

Ring said he would bring real-world experience to the committee.

"As much as we want to fill Finance Committee slots, I don't think this is right for you," Clark said. "It's important we find the right fit."

Racicot, who suggested Ring apply for the Finance Committee after Ring asked him where there were openings on boards, said that while the panel has nine members, it rarely operates as a fully staffed committee.

"There are six permanent members for a nine-member board," he said. "But a majority of the time, there are seven or eight members on the Finance Committee."

In addition to Jacques, two other members recently left the Finance Committee. Charles Bluestein did not seek reappointment this year and Helen Barnett resigned, citing personal reasons.

Jacques voted down again

Following Ring's interview, Canavan offered a motion to reconsider Jacques' application to the Finance Committee and place him on the selectmen's agenda for June 10. But the motion failed, 3-2, with Canavan and Selectman Andrew Heinze — the two newest selectmen — voting in favor of reconsidering Jacques' application. Aparo, Clark and Selectmen Chairwoman Sarah Wilkinson shot the motion down.

Last month, the former Board of Selectmen — following the recommendation of Racicot and then-board Chairman Joseph Lisi, voted unanimously not to grant Jacques an interview. Lisi and Racicot had requested Jacques' resignation on April 14, about one month before his term was set to expire on May 9.

"I thought it was outrageous what they did to (Jacques)," Canavan said yesterday of the prior board's failure to interview Jacques. "He is eminently qualified and a very professional gentleman."

Canavan said she wasn't surprised by the outcome of Tuesday's vote, but added "just because you think something's not going to pass doesn't mean you shouldn't try."

Earlier Tuesday, Canavan made a motion to move the selectmen's executive session from the beginning of the agenda to the end. That motion failed 3-2 as well, Canavan said.

After the motion failed, Canavan decided against attending the executive session and joined residents in the hallway. The move prompted Wilkinson to call Canavan yesterday and request that she stay in the room for future executive sessions, Canavan said.

According to Canavan, Wilkinson said executive sessions are held at the beginning of each meeting because selectmen tend to grow tired by the end of meetings, which usually conclude between 9:30 and 10 p.m.

Heinze suggested that selectmen schedule a workshop to inform the new members of the selectmen's policies and other issues with which new members may not be familiar.

Clark agreed with Heinze, saying a workshop setting would be much more efficient than a regular meeting to hammer out such issues. Workshop meetings are also open to the public.

Jonathan L'Ecuyer can be reached at jlecuyer@gloucestertimes.com.

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