Town of Braintree

A professionally proven, skilled, trained, educated and versed in Massachusetts governance is what Braintree needs. I read with interest the Forum's article about our Government Study Committee's initial thoughts about framing a Town Manager form of government for next April. It isn't rocket science. Braintree deserves the best. This idea has failed previously because our framers have decided to complicate a proposal with favored local presumptions (Mayor-Manager mongrel; Manager-Ombudsman mongrel, etc). Remember, Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS) and we can have what we deserve. I propose for consideration hiring a professional Manager who would have an Administrative Assistant to run the day to day interference and allow this Manager to professionally manage. The AdminAsst. would be the quasi Chief of Staff and would intercept nuisance inquiries/waste time visits to the office. There isn't a successful Town Manager anywhere without a quality adminasst by his/her side. Check the towns that work this way and you'll find it usual, not unusual. The AdminAsst would hopefully be someone skilled, learned, familiar with Braintree's politics, people and issues, who would help our government survive. We could slice one of the multiple Administrative Assistants that exists in Town Hall to more than partially cover the costs of this second in command. A Mayor form is a popularity contest. An Executive Secretary form is, well, proven useless here in Braintree for well over a decade. Let's keep it simple, refine the framework of our new government and our Selectmen set policy, our Manager manages the operation professionally and tada! Ombudsman? That's a whallapolloza of a word for a title that doesn't exist anywhere in local government here in Massachusetts or anywhere! Shame on Mr. Egan for even proposing it last month with his proposal. We don't need to be different!

By Jenkins

Flaw in the argument

Sorry Alan but there's a huge flaw in your argument - ''A Mayor form is a popularity contest.''

Who will appoint the Town Manager? The popularly elected Selectmen which is made up of the most popular politicians who chose to run for the board.

If anyone is going to wield the power you suggest, they should be directly accountable to the people of Braintree. Call it what you want - executive, manager, mayor but it won't work unless the people determine who their leader will be.

By Think again

Jenkins Makes Serious Sense

I like Jenkins' idea explained here about our proposed town manager. AS far as popularly elected Selectmen making the choices of who that manager would be, that's true, but I'd take my chance of a screening committee, definitive job description (that eliminates ''or equivalent experience'')and a process that searches for the best intead of just a body. Admittedly, the mistakes made with the Sweeney, Hector, Ackerman selections were politically motivated for sure and Vitagliano and his cronies, Casey and his cronies and Shaw and his cronies are all paying dearly for their transgressions in their ''body'' choices. Give me a professional manager and can the idea of a mayor maniac government. Kudos to Jenkins for his thought provoking beginning for our government study committee to consider.

By Brent K.