Original petitioner asks Meredith Selectboard to put town gov't structure on warrant

MEREDITH — Retired Public Works Director Mike Faller called for the selectboard to create a warrant article, rather than adding one by petition, for voters to decide on whether to switch their town manager to an administrator.

Faller, who spoke during the public comment section at Monday’s selectboard meeting, circulated a petition about a month before March’s Town Meeting, asking voters to approve such a change.

It was the last article on the warrant during a meeting pushing five hours, and despite about 100 people leaving, the town voted 88-51 in favor of the change. The petitioned article was advisory only, due to a technicality.

Faller was out of town during a recent forum regarding the differences, on a vacation planned long before the date was chosen, but he watched a video of the meeting.

At the forum Oct. 19, Craig Skinner said Faller would be able to get the necessary signatures, and there would definitely be a vote at Town Meeting.

Faller said Monday that over his three decades with the town, there were five town managers, with three being interim.

“I saw the different techniques that each manager had — some good, some bad, some not so bad — but I really felt the last two were problematic for the town, and not only that, for the board,” Faller said.

It was concerning to him, both as a department head and a resident. He then spoke to Interim Town Manager Mike Harper, noting former Manager Troy Brown swore him in as police chief, and he was in charge of police cruiser replacements. He reminded of an incident where a former town manager cut the replacement vehicles, and said he could relate, because he was upset when his budgets were cut.

Faller said these are situations he sees when managers abuse their power, and if an administrator were in place, the board would have been more involved, and “things would have been different.”

He addressed Harper again, saying when former Chief Kevin Morrow retired, Harper was the interim for months. He doesn’t think that would have happened under a town administrator.

Faller spoke of his own issues over the years, saying he would often prepare a budget, submit it to the manager, and it would be sent back to him with instructions to cut hundreds of thousands of dollars.

While he said it was best he made the cuts, because he knew the department, the problem was the manager would submit it to the selectboard. The board would not see the difference in numbers.

Under some managers, such as Carol Granfield and Peter Russell, he said he would be brought in to talk about his budget before the board. Faller was happy to hear department leaders have been invited to speak to the selectboard. He said this gives the board a clear opportunity to look at budgets, hear their desires and the reasoning behind the budgets.

“That, to me, is the communication we need,” Faller said.

Faller said going to a town administrator will “force the communication that was so lacking with the last two town managers.”

Another example, he said, is the budget was approved, then shortly into the year a former manager told him money was being frozen. This came out of road paving. He said this is another instance where the manager had control, when that might not have been the case with an administrator, “unless the board chooses to give them that reign.”

While the Oct. 19 meeting was mainly about hiring and firing capabilities, the manager and administrator differences go further, Faller said. A focus, he said, is once the budget is approved at Town Meeting, the town manager has full control, not the selectboard. He sees that as problematic.

Faller said the last two managers have cost the town valuable time and money. He said there were “two strikes” with the last two managers, and asked, “are we going to make a third?”

“You tell me,” Faller said. “I think it is time we really look at what the town needs, and what the board needs.”

With the firing of Judie Milner, leaving Harper in the interim role until at least Town Meeting, Faller thinks “now is the time.”

“It’s going to be easier for the board, it’s going to be easier for the town to make this transition,” Faller said.

He said regardless of the number of votes at the last Town Meeting, the measure passed, and there were more people present at the end of the meeting than some years past.

He asked the board to make a motion Monday to put the question on the warrant in March 2027, “in the proper form.”

“I also ask that it’s explained well to the public, and I feel town counsel can help write this petition so it’s not an advisory petition,” he said. “I would also be happy to help.”

Faller came prepared with a motion, and said he was sorry board member Mike Pelczar wasn’t present, because he thought it should have been taken care of that evening. Pelczar was traveling and absent with notice.

“We need to do this,” Faller said. “Eighty-eight people spoke at last year’s Town Meeting that they want this. I feel it’s the board’s duty to put it on this year’s Town Meeting.”

Board member Jeanie Forrester said Faller was correct, there were other Town Meetings where decisions were made with fewer people, so to suggest it's any less valid because there were only 139 people present, wouldn’t be correct.

“We did hear from 88-51 that people wanted a town administrator,” Forrester said.

Forrester said the petitioned article was worded incorrectly, which Faller took ownership for, but said the petition was submitted in due time. He spoke with “a few board members,” and said there was enough time for town counsel to change the wording so it would be official.

“The board chose not to,” Faller said. “Whether it was the board or town manager at the time I don’t know, but I’m here in November, and I think it’s time to do the right thing, and have it drafted up properly.”

Forrester said Feb. 2 is the deadline to submit a petitioned article. While she understands Faller wanted a decision that evening, the selectboard members agreed the full membership should be present.

“I think we need the full board, and I think we have time,” Forrester said.

The selectboard will meet again at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 23, at the community center.