The Newcastle Board of Selectmen and the town’s administrator took off their gloves Monday as they responded to a series of public accusations by former board member Art Mayers.
They accused Mayers of lashing out at the board because he didn’t get his way.
“The time for casting stones, mud or simply paving over problems, as Mr. Mayers prefers, but could not convince us merited doing when on the Board, are simply not in the town’s best interest at the end of the day,” the board said in a written statement.
From the discussion, made in a public meeting of the board, it was clear there was no love lost between the four board members, town administrator Ron Grenier and Mayers.
The board acted in response to Mayers’ accusations, made both in a letter to the editor of The Lincoln County News, and in an email newsletter he calls “Whacky Weekly III.”
Mayers actions also triggered a bitter comment from Grenier. “I take offense at all this. It is a whole bunch of bull s___,” he said.
Mayers has accused the selectmen of violating their own rules when they hired a road engineer without going through the bid process, of a tax commitment error and of bending to pressure from residents of Stone Bridge Circle to fix their road before they repaired Academy Hill Road, which he claimed was in far worse shape.
The board voted to issue a formal response and his accusations sparked a bitter response from the members.
An obviously irritated board chair Ellen McFarland was clear about her feelings.
“We are being accused of rigging the bidding. He sat at the table and could not convince this board (of his view),” she said. “Then he slipped out and threw fuel on the fire. It is sad that someone would do this.”
Selectman Lee Straw urged the board to ignore the criticism but he voted with the others to issue a response. He said Mayers was just mad at the other board members because he didn’t get his way.
“He didn’t get what he wanted when he was in this room,” Straw said.
Selectman Robert Plourde was direct. He said Mayers was calling the board thieves and liars. “I am tired of being accused,” he said.
“We did not ignore the bidding process,” said board member Pat Hudson.
After a discussion of the accusations by Art Mayers, who resigned April 7 without explanation, the board voted to issue a formal response.
The board said Mayers “conveniently leaves out” language in the rule requiring bids that legally authorizes the board to waive the bidding process when it is in the interest of the town.
They said Mayers also devalues and diminishes the genuine concern of the Stone Bridge Circle residents. They said he skipped over a board order that the road engineer craft a repair schedule to work on Academy Hill Road at the same time as Stone Bridge Circle.
“The sooner we get on with improving (Newcastle roads) the better this will be for all of our residents,” they said.
Mayers resigned from the board last month. He has refused repeated requests to outline his reasons for resignation. The board accepted his resignation without comment.
(Both the Mayers’ accusations and the board’s response can be read in full on this week’s letters to the editor section of The Lincoln County News.)
