In Plymouth, the Spring Town Meeting on April 2nd made history because of its unprecedented 11-hour length, but also a first. A Town Meeting member moved to decrease the pay of the Select Board to zero, ultimately the motion did not pass.
Bobbi Clark files this report:
Town Moderator Steven Triffletti:
“Article 6 of the Annual Town Meeting was to fix the salaries of elected officials. I received a motion to reduce the salary of the Select Board to zero. In my 30 years as Town Moderator I never received such a motion since routinely this article is passed without debate. I did not allow the motion, however, I did divide the question in order that Town Meeting members could vote separately on the salary of the Select Board.”
Precinct 10 Town Meeting Member Peter Neville told the group the reason for his motion to bring the pay of the Select Board back to 0 is so he could send a message about the Board’s treatment of former Town Manager Melissa Arrighi.
And Neville was joined by Precinct 15 Town Meeting Member Richard Nealey, who objected to the lack of transparency regarding the firing of the former Town Manager:
“One would like to cast a vote indicating dissatisfaction with the way the Board has handled a number of events.”
Selectman Betty Cavacco asked to speak and told Town Meeting that the Town Manager did not get fired and that she is still working as a Special Assistant.
“We’re really not sure why people think she was terminated cause she was not.”
However, according to the Executive Session minutes of November 30th: this is what Melissa Arrighi stated, in part, about considering the offer of Special Assistant:
“I felt under extreme pressure to seriously consider this Special Assignment because if I did not, the Select Board would take some type of adverse employment action against me. For what reason and under what context I do not know, as there is no just cause to do so and no explanation was ever provided to me. However, it was made clear to me that if I chose not to consider the Special Assistant offer, that is how the Board would proceed regardless.”
This measure was approved by Selectmen Bletzer, Cavacco, Helm and Quintal; Flaherty voted no.
The town is paying a combined total of just over a half a million dollars a year to Town Manager Derek Brindisi. and Special Assistant Arrighi.
This is in addition to the pay of the soon to be hired Assistant Town Manager—and that yearly pay range is between one hundred fifty-two thousand and one hundred seventy-nine thousand dollars.
A copy of the November 30th Executive Session minutes can be found below.
