Autumn in the North Cemetery.

Sixty miles west of Boston, Massachusetts there is the small New England town of Sturbridge. Located at the junction of I-90 (The Mass Pike), and I-84 it has become known as the "Crossroads of New England". The town was first settled over 300 years ago, and like other small New England towns it has grown just enough over the years to be in a difficult place today. How do we embrace the future without forgetting how we got to our present? How do we attract the right kind of growth, and maintain who we are? And, what about our culture out here in Central Massachusetts?



These pages will cause one to think about how to protect what we have, our future direction, and how to move on in the very best way.


Those thoughts, and other ramblings, will hopefully inspire more thought, conversation, action, and occasionally a smile...

...seems to be working so far

Thursday, July 26, 2012

This Time, I'm Stumped

The simple act of pulling someone aside, having a few words in private with them, and then moving on, could solve so many problems.

The act of speaking to another, without an audience, and to lay the issues on the line, shows that the need for correction is important enough to mention, and it is not being mentioned for the benefit an audience would give the person in charge.

This can be called sincerity, and it is a very effective, and essential part of leadership.

Seeking an explanation, offering a warning, and laying out a plan of correction is always Plan A.  When it does fall onto the pages of the local paper, then something has gone awry with one of the parties involved.  Initially, it should never get that far unless the problem is very severe.

When the person with the most power in their pocket wants to remind folks of that fact, then grand issues are made of smaller ones.  It also happens when the person being reprimanded is resistant to working with those in charge.

Now, there are times when one is left without much of a choice, and a punishment must be handed down, and if done appropriately, it should correct, and prevent future issues.  If done inappropriately, or in a way as to exert ones authority, or if the person at fault is just pissed off at being spoken to, then it will end very differently from what both parties want.  Termination, or quiting, just opens up another problem, and that is filling the void left by the exit.

It happened here in town recently.  I don't profess to know anything more than what I have read in the papers about this specific issue, but what I do know is that the manner in which an issue is handled is the key to a successful conclusion.  It may have been handled in a good way in the beginning , and evolved into what looked like something else in the papers later on.  We'll never know.
Unless the public is made aware of ALL the history behind an issue, the public will listen to rumor and innuendo, half heard conversations, make up reasons on their own, and place the blame where they feel it should go, not where it should go.  Whether the powers that be are right, or wrong, without full disclosure, that is just how things go.  Always has.

It would be nice to know for once what the real issue is when it was first discovered, and how it was initially handled.  Sometimes, the action at the end does not fit the picture, and  in this case the action was quitting.

That's what I'm thinking this morning.  What would cause one to quit ones position after a one day suspension?  Was it the way in which they were treated in regards to the issue, or was it only the tip of the iceberg, and getting out while the getting was good was the only way?

Now, I don't think we will ever really know, because personnel matters aren't discussed in public here in town I've been told, they're simply hinted at in the newspapers.

13 comments:

  1. I don't believe anyone who watched the BOS meeting was surprised that the BI quit. Here is a professional being talked to as if he were in grade school. There's always two sides to every complaint, you would think in fairness the BOS would get both sides and know what they're talking about before shooting off in public. Or is it, I'll make you smaller so I can be taller than..........

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  2. The Board Chairman is trying to Micro manage the whole town. With him there I'm sure you'll see more good people leave. Also remember each time a postion needs to be fill it cost the town money, in advertising and 9 times out of 10 higher wages. Control spending remove the chairman!

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  3. Does anyone know why the conservation agent quit?

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  4. Same Reason was being Micro managed by you know who!

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  5. Who has been the chairman when each suspension and or quitting has occured? Maybe somebody needs to give lessons on how to deal with people. Talking above everyone's head in a meeting for the benefit of showing off your vocabulary doesn't work in what should be private talks. Belittling someone to show how high up you are doesn't work either. They call it Human Resources for a reason. Our employees are a resource that should be nourished and dealt with in a way to make them grow not go.

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  6. stumped...r u kidding...does anyone here ever attend or watch meetings...the building inspector was asked for information many, many times for over a year and never responded...he lied and said that he had never asked anyone to sign anything for him, which he did...he threw his secretary under the bus cause she said that he had asked her to sign papers for a huge project and she said no...he asked her to sign many, many documents she didn't have the power to...he created this mess by lying and not answering for information from people who live here..then when he does answer he lied...your stumped because you don't like tc and look for fault in everything...he's one person out of 5 on the selectboard...people don't get suspended for nothing..they get suspended for not coming to work...not doing their job we pay them for and for lying and ignoring residents...if any of you were not getting honest satisfaction from a town employee you'd be demanding action...anonymously of course...when it's other people you just complain...tc is doing the job we elected him to do...thank God cause nothing would be getting done if he wasn't there...do you think anyone else on that board could have gotten half the stuff done in their whole term he gets done in a year...look and see what nothingness dowling and blanchard have done in their whole time on the board...that's right nothing, nada, zipity zero...the other two are still new...maybe it's time to start looking in the mirror people...the real problem is the hate that goes on right here from people with no clue.

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  7. Ok
    Tom Anything you say! keep blowing your own horn

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  8. I am sure that when TC calls someone out at a meeting it is not a surprise to the person on the hot seat. When a person gets suspended there is always things leading up to it. These things may be brought up in conversations or emails but when the person does not get the job done i expect them to be held accountable. We the resident pay the salaries of all the town employees. I am glad to see them held accountable on TV during the BOS meetings. If they were not then we would be forced to keep paying for workers who may or may not be performing up to the standards that the town expects.

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  9. Whiner's right on. Wally and company are the classic feel good emotional liberals. They don't care about truth, just care about how they feel about something. They feel bad for the lying do nothing building inspector so they side with him. They feel bad he was "forced" to lie to cover his tracks instead of being truthful. They feel bad he got caught having his secretary sign a boatload of papers he's supposed to sign. Yup this was all forced on the poor guy. Here's an idea, try making your minds up based on facts instead of feelings. Fact, building insp. got suspended for lying and doing illegal things in his office. Fact, he quit because he knew that more was going to come out. Fact, get off the hate train and start thinking instead of feeling. Common sense spoken here my arrrssssss.

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  10. Main and MapleSunday, July 29, 2012

    LOL! Some folks read and retain, others scan, and make up their own ending. I don't think in the least bit anyone took any particular side in the article. It was not about putting blame on anyone, Creamer or the building inspector. It was about how issues, and people are handled in town. No where in the article is one person favored over the other. The manner and method is written about, not the personalities. Read it again, a neutral position was taken about the issue, but not about the attitude.

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  11. I agree, M&M! What were they reading?

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  12. The "anonymous" who is bad-mouthing liberals doesn't know what he or she is talking about. I am a "liberal," and have had nothing to say about the incidents in question, but need to say something about the anonymous person who is taking out his or her frustrations on a whole group of people:
    Dear Anonymous,
    The subject in question has nothing to do with liberals or conservatives. It has to do with town politics which, if you really pay attention to what goes on, you will find to be a whole other animal. What I do see, however in your posting is your hatred for a liberals. That is just plain mean-spirited and dumb.

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