John Spear was named Waldoboro’s latest town manager in August. He began full time on Sept. 12.
On Oct. 25, he took part in his first public hearing as a Waldoboro town official.
“The real message I got from that meeting is that there is clearly a lack of trust,” Spear said during an Oct. 27 interview at his office. The interview was scheduled a few weeks earlier to discuss Spear’s time in Waldoboro and what he sees as the most important work in the near future, but was quickly consumed by discussion of the public hearing. “This level of distrust is a new experience for me.”
The public hearing gave residents a look at the town’s ballot for the Nov. 8 vote. The ballot had already been printed, so it was simply a chance for town officials to answer questions. On the ballot this year are: an item to allow the town to refinance a bond; two articles creating ordinances governing methadone clinics and medical marijuana dispensaries; and some housekeeping on the town’s site plan review procedure.
“I came fully prepared for a lot of questions about the methadone clinic and medical marijuana ordinances,” Spear said, but residents were concerned about the bond refinancing.
The article grants the selectmen the authority to refinance a 2003 bond used to buy the town water company. Approving the article doesn’t compel the selectmen to refinance; it allows them to refinance if town officials feel it would be in the town’s best interest.
“I’ve been through more than a dozen of these in my career, and I’ve never heard of it being controversial,” Spear said. “If there was trust, this wouldn’t be an issue – it shouldn’t be an issue.”
Residents’ concerns centered on three aspects of the article: the total amount to be borrowed; the payment schedule; and language in the article granting authority to the selectmen for future actions related to the bond.
The article authorizes the selectmen to borrow an amount not to exceed $1,147,771.63; in the spring when the bond would be refinanced, the town is expected to owe about $1,079,690. The reason the article uses the higher total, is that it was written with the hope that the town would be able to refinance this fall. An ongoing lawsuit against the town – although not directly related to the bond – will almost surely prevent the town refinancing this fall, Spear said.
“There’s still a very slim chance, we’ll be able to do it this fall, which is another reason we left the higher total in the article,” Spear said.
Residents are concerned the town will use this as an opportunity to borrow more money than they already owe.
“We will not borrow one penny more than what is owed,” Spear told residents at the public hearing.
Residents also raised concerns about the payment schedule. One resident referenced information provided by the town that seemed to indicate higher payments for the next few years. At the time, Spear wasn’t sure whether the information was accurate or not.
At the Oct. 27 interview, he said he had looked into the matter and the payment schedule discussed at the meeting was not an accurate schedule. The actual payment schedule won’t be known until the interest rate is known next spring, Spear said.
Residents were also opposed to language in the article granting the selectmen the authority to “accept federal or state grants” and enter into contracts and “take all actions and do all things” related to the bond in the future.
Spear feels the concerns boil down to a lack of trust in town officials, and said he will make a top priority to rebuild residents’ trust. “I hope people come to know that we have the best interest of the town and taxpayers at heart,” Spear said.
In order to rebuild trust, Spear said he’s going to focus on getting as much information as he can out to the public. He said it was a mistake to show up to the public hearing without every detail about the refinancing in hand, and it’s one he won’t make again.
Spear said the biggest project in the near future is the ongoing union negotiations.
“It’s really important to spend some time and get these right,” Spear said. “These first contracts will be the basis for negotiations for years to come.”
Another focus for Spear will be working to ensure that the town’s employees strive to find innovative ways to improve the town’s work and save the taxpayers money.
“The employees are very dedicated, hardworking and knowledgeable, but some of the employees are feeling unappreciated.” Spear said.
Spear worries that town employees may be fearful of showing initiative out of a concern that innovative ideas, and failed ideas, will draw criticism from the town. “It would be a real shame because there’s a lot of talented people here with a lot of experience and a lot of institutional knowledge,” he said.
One aspect of that issue is that the town’s personnel policy hasn’t been updated since 1981. Once union negotiations are further along, Spear hopes to work on redrafting that policy.
Spear’s other big project will be beginning exploration into a town charter. At the request of the Board of Selectmen, he will give a presentation on the charter process and what can be accomplished at the board’s Nov. 22 meeting.
Tied in with the charter process, which allows the town to designate a method for town meeting votes, is the pending voting method lawsuit facing the town. That suit is currently waiting for scheduling in Lincoln County Court.
Spear has decades of experience in town and school district government, and like many of Waldoboro’s issues, he’s seen similar problems before. He likened the town’s current struggles over voting method to issues in the school district years ago.
School budget votes used to work the way Waldoboro’s town meeting has in the last few years, with a referendum vote followed by an open town meeting to address articles that failed. This process bred resentment among voters in the school district, as it has among voters in Waldoboro. To address that issue, school districts now vote by open town meeting to settle the amount in budget articles, then a referendum vote to give final approval to the budget.
A town charter would allow the town to explore a range of voting options.
“Personally, I really like open town meeting,” Spear said. “I think it’s the purest form of democracy. The referendum is a black and white, yes and no, but at an open meeting you can work to a compromise.”
Since his appointment, Spear has already increased the amount of information coming out of the town manager’s office by adding a town manager’s report to the agenda of every selectmen’s meeting and publishing background information on almost every item on each meeting’s agenda.
“It’s not going to be easy; I think that’s pretty clear,” Spear said. “We have to be as open and transparent and forthright with information as possible, and hopefully people will see a consistency to what we’re doing.”
Spear said his first few weeks on the job have been busy, but overall things are “going very well.” He’s still working on meeting as many people in town as he can.
“It might be a good thing that I come in with no expectations or prior conceptions about anyone in town,” Spear said. “I’ve always tried to be very fair and objective.”
