Selectmens Minutes 04/30/2019
Board of Selectmen April 30, 2019
Chairman Marie Smith called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. in the meeting room at Veterans Memorial Town Hall, 558 South Main Street. In addition to Chairman Smith, Selectmen Joseph Pacheco and Patricia Riley were in attendance.
Ms. Riley made a motion to enter into Executive Session in accordance with Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 30A, Section 21, to conduct strategy sessions in preparation for negotiations with nonunion personnel and to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining or litigation if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining or litigating position of the public body. On a roll call vote, Chairman Smith and Selectmen Pacheco and Riley voted in the affirmative to enter into Executive Session.
Chairman Smith called the open meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. In addition to Chairman Smith, Selectmen Pacheco and Riley were present. Mrs. Smith stated that the Board was returning from Executive Session. Mr. Pacheco stated that no votes were taken and there was nothing to report at this time.
Mrs. Smith led the Board in the Pledge of Allegiance and she informed everyone that the meeting is being recorded live by RayCAM.
Reorganization of the Board
Ms. Riley made a motion to elect Mr. Joseph Pacheco as Chairman, Mrs. Smith seconded, and Mr. Pacheco made it unanimous. Mr. Pacheco made a motion to elect Marie Smith as Vice-Chair, Ms. Riley seconded, and Mrs. Smith made it unanimous. Mrs. Smith said that Ms. Riley will retain her seat as Secretary/Clerk of the Board. Mr. Pacheco made the motion, Mrs. Smith seconded and Ms. Riley made it unanimous.
Acceptance of the Minutes
Ms. Riley made a motion to accept the minutes of the April 23rd meeting as printed, Mrs. Smith seconded and Mr. Pacheco made it unanimous.
Department Heads
Chief Jim Donovan was present to give his monthly report. Since March 6th, the Police Department has logged 1,583 incidents and booked 61 people. Of those calls, 314 were 911 calls, and there were two non-fatal overdoses. There was one unfortunate incident involving a man, who was intoxicated, driving with children in the vehicle with injury resulting. Mr. Pacheco asked Chief Donovan for the Police Department’s report for the public hearing. Chief Donovan said he had never received a notice regarding the hearing.
Mr. Buckley, Highway Superintendent, who was scheduled to give his monthly report, was absent due to illness.
Mrs. Marsha Silvia, Town Clerk, was present to thank the workers, the Board, the Highway Department and everyone who helped out during the election. She wanted to say that it takes time to get all the results in and counted and it was one of the highest turnouts in 12 years. Referring to the live broadcast of the election results on the Raynham Channel, she stated, “Someone made a comment, and I know who it was, who received a text message from a friend who worked at the poles and he then read the text message.’ Mrs. Silvia read it aloud as follows: “Evidence of Russian collusion in the Raynham Town Election discovered; news at 11:00.” Directing her comment to Mr. John Teixeira, who was in attendance, Mrs. Silvia continued, “I know you said it, John.” Mr. Teixeira replied, “It was just a joke.” Mrs. Silvia said, “I’m sure it was said in jest, but you didn’t say that, and it wasn’t corrected.” Mrs. Smith said, “Marsha, it was Saturday Night Live.” Mrs. Silvia said, “I think if this was said about your department, you wouldn’t appreciate it. My department runs the election and we work very hard to get this election done. It was not corrected by anyone.” Ms. Riley said, “It was Saturday Night Live. I hope we haven’t lost our sense of humor.” Mrs. Silvia said, “Excuse me, Ms. Riley, but I have a very good sense of humor, but I’d like to know how you would feel if it was said about your department. I don’t think it’s funny and it gave the entire election process the implication of impropriety and I don’t appreciate it. It was not corrected, and it was said in a live broadcast.” Mr. John Teixeira, Raynham Planning Board member and Council On Aging Chairman, who was a candidate for Selectman in the election, asked to speak. He stated, “Yes, I did say it and if you are waiting for a correction, it was in jest. I was tense and we were trying to fill dead time here while we were waiting for results and I understand the process having been involved. I admit it was a joke. It was a friend of mine and he didn’t mean any harm and the Russians weren’t involved.” Mrs. Silvia said, “I know that.” Mr. Teixeira continued, “If I spoke out of turn, I apologize and I didn’t mean to offend you.” Mrs. Silvia asked, “He was a pole worker and he texted you during the election? It shed a bad light on the election, John.” Mr. Teixeira said, “Yes, but it was just a joke.” Mrs. Silvia said, “But you didn’t say that.” Mr. Teixeira said, “I thought I said that I got a funny text from a friend of mine who works at the poles. I apologize for it. I certainly didn’t mean that.” Mrs. Silvia said, “The people who work with me are also offended by it.” Mr. Teixeira said, “For those of you who were offended by that, I apologize. It was a joke because why would the Russians want to interfere with our election?” Mrs. Silvia said, “Thank you. I appreciate it.” Ms. Riley said, “Now, I am offended because for 30 years I have been volunteering my time to do programs for Raynham Cable for the benefit of everyone in Town and when someone goes to extremes to find fault with one comment that was made in jest, I am offended.” Mrs. Silvia said, “Okay, I don’t want to go back and forth with you, Ms. Riley, because I will do it every week. I will say, how would you feel if something about the School Department or the Selectmen’s Office was said and it wasn’t said in jest? I work extremely hard, and my whole department does and so do my coworkers and everyone else.” Mr. Pacheco said, “With due respect to you, Ms. Riley, I don’t blame you for the comment, but I share Mrs. Silvia’s concern as I thought it was unprofessional and inappropriate whether it was a joke or not. As Mrs. Silvia said, it cast a shadow of impropriety over the entire process and it shouldn’t have been said. Mrs. Silvia and her team are above reproach and I believe that it just shouldn’t have been said.” Mrs. Silvia said, “It’s a shame that I can’t come to you with a legitimate concern and just because I stand up for myself, this is what gets said to me. That’s fine, but I won’t go away.” Ms. Riley said, “Neither will I, Mrs. Silvia.” Mrs. Silvia said, “My intention was to come in tonight and talk about something that was said.” Mr. Pacheco said, “Thank you, Mrs. Silvia.”
Appointments
A request to fill two positions on the Raynham Police Reserve List was received from Chief Donovan for Derek Henrique and Zachary DeAndrade. Ms. Riley made a motion to approve, Mrs. Smith seconded, and Mr. Pacheco made it unanimous.
A request for an Application for Appointment for Constable was received from David Johnson. Ms. Riley made a motion to approve with the Chief’s recommendation, Mrs. Smith seconded, and Mr. Pacheco made it unanimous.
Public Hearing Continuation – Raynham Package Store, Change of Manager
Mr. Pacheco opened the Public Hearing at 7:14 p.m. Mr. Michael Arieta was present to address the Board as the new Manager. Mr. Pacheco suggested that since the Board had not received a report from the Police Department, Mr. Arieta be asked if he has any criminal record. Mr. Arieta said, “No, I’m a bus driver, so I’ve been CORI-checked and I’m completely fine.” Mr. Pacheco said, “Then it’s my recommendation that we move forward with it and if the Chief finds something, we can revoke it.” Mrs. Smith made the motion, Ms. Riley seconded, and Mr. Pacheco made it unanimous. The Public Hearing was closed at 7:16 p.m.
New Business
Mr. John Donahue, Town Moderator, was present to discuss the Advisory Committee for the Fire Chief’s position. He stated that he was very happy with the committee that was formed to recommend the new Fire Chief. He stated that there were three excellent candidates and any one of the three would make an excellent Fire Chief. He stated that, ultimately, the committee unanimously voted to recommend Bryan Lacivita for the position of Fire Chief of the Raynham Fire Department. The Board thanked Mr. Donahue and the committee for all their work. Ms. Riley made a motion to request the recommended candidate in for a second interview and to express the Board’s appreciation to the two other candidates. Mrs. Smith seconded and Mr. Pacheco made it unanimous.
A request was received from the Treasurer/Collector’s Office relative to the Town potentially offering voluntary dental insurance for fiscal year 2020, with no charge to the taxpayers. Mrs. Smith said, “It’s a great thing if it’s available,” and she made a motion to approve. Ms. Riley seconded and Mr. Pacheco made it unanimous.
Town Administrator’s Report
Interim Town Administrator Gordon Luciano gave his report as follows:
Regarding the Annual Town meeting, the warrant and article booklets are being printed and will be mailed out the week of May 6th. There are currently four articles for the Special Town Meeting and the warrant for this meeting closes at 11:45 a.m. this Friday, May 3rd.
Regarding insurance, Mr. Luciano stated that “With the help of Executive Assistant Deb Dooney, we have reviewed and updated the vehicle fleet and we were able to eliminate four vehicles from the insurance coverage. Next up, we will be making sure that all of our facilities such as our new sewer pumping stations are included and sufficiently covered.”
Regarding Chapter 90, Mr.Luciano stated, “These are state funds provided for road construction, improvement, and preservation. The amount of funds we receive is based on the recorded road miles located in a community. We currently have an approximate nine-mile discrepancy between what the state has us listed for and what we have. Ed Buckley, our Highway Superintendent, is working on an updated list that we will file with the state.”
Regarding the Southeastern Massachusetts Health Group, Mr. Luciano explained that “It is a collaborative of towns that provides our health and wellness coverage for town employees. Under this program, we are able to achieve significant cost savings for both the town and our employees. Traditionally, the Town Administrator serves as Raynham’s representative. With your permission, I would like to designate our Collector/Treasurer, Michael King, to represent the town as he handles oversite and implementation of this coverage through his office.” Mr. Pacheco said that as long as the Board agrees, Mr. King can be the representative to the health group. Mrs. Smith and Ms. Riley indicated agreement.
In his report, Mr. Luciano also reported the following meetings:
The next Selectmen’s meeting with be May 7th, at 7:00 p.m. at Town Hall.
The Southeastern Regional Services Group will meet next Wednesday, May 8th, at 9:15 a.m. at Mansfield Town Hall, and Mr. Luciano will be attending.
The next Department Head meeting will be held on Thursday, May 9th, at 10:00 a.m. at Town Hall.
The next Government Study Committee meeting is scheduled to be held on Thursday, May 9th, at 6:30 p.m. at the South School.
Selectmen’s Report
Ms. Riley said she wanted to congratulate all of those elected, especially Mr. Pacheco in his reelection bid. She also thanked all of those who participated in the election, including all of the poll works, police officers on duty, and especially the voters who took their time to go to the polls or to cast absentee ballots. She said she would like to see more people come out to vote. She also wanted to remind everyone about the Fishing Derby, sponsored by the Raynham Fire Department, that will be held at Johnson’s Pond on Saturday, May 18th, and the Memorial Day Parade that will be held on May 25th.
Mr. Pacheco wanted to thank Mrs. Silvia for running a superb election process and to congratulate all who ran. He also thanked all the voters who turned out.
Correspondence
A request was received from the “Salute to Our Veterans Committee” for a parade permit for the Memorial Day Parade on Saturday, May 25th. Ms. Riley, who serves as the Selectmen’s liaison to the R.A.V.E. Board of Directors, made a motion to approve, Mrs. Smith seconded, and Mr. Pacheco made it unanimous. Ms. Riley explained that R.A.V.E.’s “Salute To Our Veterans Committee” assists the Town in organizing the parade, but it is the Town of Raynham’s parade and many departments are involved including the Police and Fire, CERT team, Highway Department, and Department of Veterans Services. She said it is the hope that all departments become involved.
Correspondence was received from Mr. Buckley, Highway Superintendent, requesting an appointment. Mr. Pacheco said that although it is not on the Agenda, he would entertain a motion to approve. He explained, “Mr. Buckley has been looking to replace this employee for a long time. Mr. Steven Perry will take the new position.” Ms. Riley made a motion to appoint Mr. Perry, Mrs. Smith seconded, and Mr. Pacheco made it unanimous.
Mr. Pacheco read a letter from Mr. Michael Crowley, who was bitten by a dog while on the property of A-American Roofing, 539A South Street East, Raynham. The dog is owned by Matthew Keith of Bridgewater. Linda Brackett, Assistant Animal Control Officer, was present and she provided pictures and a copy of the Police Report for the Board members. Mr. Pacheco asked for a motion to hold a dangerous hearing next week. He also recommended that the Town correspond with Bridgewater. Ms. Riley made the motion, Mrs. Smith seconded and Mr. Pacheco made it unanimous.
Correspondence was received from the Assessors’ Office stating that at a special meeting on April 23, 2019, the Board of Assessors voted to transfer $150,000 from the Overlay Account to the Overlay Surplus Account for the purpose of funding articles for the Annual Town Meeting on May 20, 2019.
Adjournment
At 7: 37 p.m., Mrs. Smith motioned and Ms. Riley seconded to adjourn for the performance of administrative duties, signing of Bills and Warrants, with no business to be conducted afterwards. Mr. Pacheco made it unanimous.
Respectfully submitted,
Janet Murphy
Recording Secretary