From the Eagle Tribune;
October 4, 2011
New Atkinson selectman to be selected
By Cara Hogan
chogan@eagletribune.com
ATKINSON — Only a week after Selectman William Bennett resigned, his replacement will be named tomorrow.
The five candidates vying for Bennett's seat were interviewed by the two remaining board members last night. New Chairman William Friel and Fred Childs will choose the new selectman at 10 a.m.
The candidates include two former selectmen, Paul Sullivan and Raymond Fournier. Sullivan decided not to run for re-election two years ago while Fourner hasn't been on the board for more than 30 years.
The other candidates are businessman Craig Schuster and Budget Committee members Todd Barbera and Dave Paquette.
The replacement for Bennett, who stepped down because of health problems, will serve the remainder of his three-year term. A new selectman will be elected in March.
Whoever is chosen tomorrow must be ready to work, Friel said.
"It's budget season and we're looking for someone to jump right in with us," he said. "It's a big time commitment."
After Bennett resigned, the search for his replacement started immediately.
The five men turned in their resumes by Friday. Last night, each candidate had two minutes to explain why he should be appointed for the next five months.
Sullivan was a selectman from 2006 to 2009, and wants another shot at the job. He was an emergency medical technician and firefighter in Atkinson for 17 years, and served on the Budget Committee for three years.
"When I was an Atkinson selectman with you gentlemen, we all worked well together," he said. "We were fiscally responsible and managed the ice storm. I have firsthand experience and I'm here to step up to the plate."
Fournier said he has the experience needed for the job since he was a selectman more than 30 years ago.
"I worked in engineering for more than 30 years," he said. "I was working full time and I couldn't dedicate the time to being a selectman. Now, I'm retired and I have the time. I will definitely voice my opinion."
Todd Barbera, chairman of the Technology and Budget committees, said he is very qualified and knows state law.
"Leadership skills are key to being a selectman and I am chair of two committees," he said. "I have no political agenda. I serve because I truly enjoy being involved and I plan to run for selectman in March."
Dave Paquette has served on the Budget Committee for nine years. Paquette said he was the only candidate not interested in running for the position in March.
"I think I can really help with the budget," he said. "I'm well-versed in the process. I have no hidden agendas since I'm not interested in running beyond the five months."
Craig Schuster said he has never served the town, but runs a chemical manufacturing company and has lived in Atkinson for more than 10 years.
"I'm an outsider, many people don't know my name," he said. "I'm here to help. I bring a different set of eyes, from the manufacturing and business side. I stand up for what I believe in."
Selectmen asked all five candidates questions, including some emailed by residents. All five candidates said they were willing to work long hours while selectmen compile next year's proposed budget.
Friel also asked the candidates how they would feel about being unpopular and all five said they were up to the challenge.
Friel asks residents who would like to comment on the candidates to email the Board of Selectmen at selectmen@atkinson-nh.gov.
That input is to be considered when choosing a new selectman.
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53 comments:
Great must see TV last night but is there any doubt who the correct candidate is? Mr Fournier a nice guy but not too up on the town in the year 2011. Dave ,I don't give a rat's but about the safety of the officers, Paquette. Mr Schuster seems like a good business man, at least that what his resume that he read last night sounds like. Paul Sullivan, not a bad alternative but i think the clear choice is Mr Barbera, great job !!!
For all of your snide comments, I can tell you that Dave Paquette is NOT your "i dont give a rats butt about the safety of officers" guy.
Dave has NEVER compromised the safety of our police officers, nor has anyone else on the committee. In FACT, according to the town bookkeeper, that police dept is routinely overfunded by $40,000 + EVERY SINGLE YEAR!
Given the info in the recently released MRI report, it is apparent that we have been funding an illegally created Lt's position for 4 years, that was unnecessary.
The clear choice is not Mr. Barbera. He is a divisive personality and that is not what we need right now.
Fphrank. Choose a mans name.
Not Barbara Salia, Janice, Phillis Diller, Princess Grace or Lady Ga Ga.
Mickey Rooney, Rodney Dangerfield, Tony Soprano, Donald Trump, Mickey Mouse better fit.
so is it going to be shemp or curly joe
there goes mark again blah blah blah
Sullivan wants to run again? Give us a break. He is a Consentino supporter that showed us nothing the last time in office and will be the THIRD MONKEY on the board this time.
Craig Schuster sounds like a good choice but he's not the INSIDER that the Selectman WANT.
Dave Paquette would do an excellent job, but he won't get the nod from the rest of the board, because he will only commit for five months.
Mr. Fournier would do a good job too, unless the selectmen turn off the speaker like they did last night.
We all know that the selectmen will choose Todd Barbera because of the conflict of interest he brings to the table. He is the only one that is related to Consentino.
Here we go again folks.......Consentino stacks the board in his favor again.
The decision was to be made at 10:00 AM.
Anyone know what happened? It's not like they'll put it up on the town site for folks to see.
I liked the fact we had 5 people to pick from. Last 2 elections nobody ran against the incumbents for obvious reasons. I thank all who applied.
Ray, nice guy but you've been away from town govt for a long time. It would be great if you got back into the swing of things with other committees first to get caught up.
Paul, I like Paul and think he has a shot. In his chance as a selectman before, he was in a tough situation. I think it hurt him and his chances.
Craig: Seems like a nice guy. The lack of any town experience makes it tough to pick him.
Dave Paquette: Does great work on budget committee but couldn't fill 2 minutes of time about his accomplishments which left me wondering. Dave you need to give people reasons to select you.
Todd: He can hit the ground running and is right up to date. No learning curve which is good becuz BOS need help immediately.
Barbera has leadership experience and has accomplishments to point to, especially fixing the town's technology mess, that none of the other candidates can claim.
Methinks the BOS would be foolish not to pick Todd Barbera.
just my opinion.
todd will br bills yes man
Todd needs to finish what he started and I will not vote for him in March if he quits the budget committee.
The technology committee didn't do anything in town. They have no funding. He was full of himself and doesn't seem like a team player.
The town voted in to formalize the Atkinson Technology Committee and it has a budget. You don't sound very smart when you make completely incorrect statements. Get your facts straight. Your claim this committee did nothing is wrong. Now you insult an entire committee of volunteers the town could never afford.
Did you read the IT Assessment report posted on the town's website? A number of the problems in that report were fixed. The Technology committee gets credit whether you like it or not. Led by none other than Todd Barbera. Dems da facts.
If they pick Paquette we would get two for one.
Barbera chair of budget and Paquette's experience on the selectmen's board.
I like it that he isn't going to run in the spring.
They will pick Barbera because this is an inside job.
Dave has shown his competence for nine years on the Budget Com. Right now we have someone willing to work at the present priorities at this tme.
He knows what the Budg. means to the taxpayers. He also knows what a Town Report looks like ,which by the way has been remiss with this BOS.
He is not looking to run for office but is offering us a chance to have a competent person get us thru this.
When Election time rolls around let the chips fall where they may. This is what we need right now.
Hello? Is This The Atkinson Police Department? I Need Help
Tuesday, October 4, 2011 at 12:13PM
I guess it is safe to say that the next 10 years of litigation against the Town of Atkinson will probably revolve around the Police Department and the newly released MRI Report found here:
http://www.town-atkinsonnh.com/
Some towns in New Hampshire can be described as dysfunctional, Windsor, where the elected officials and friends do not pay property taxes is one, but Atkinson tops the field with its “part time police chief” who costs the municipality hundreds of thousands of dollars in lawsuits and a failed police department.
Check out pages 7-8 for a sample of the absolute stupidity displayed by part time chief/full time liability, Phil Consentino.
The public employee (Chief Consentino) answers the phone in the Atkinson Department office and gives out the names of “approved” contractors with a 10% discount for mentioning they got the name from the Atkinson PD.
And how do you get on the “approved” list in Atkinson so you can do business in town?
Is there any reason a contractor gets bumped from a list?
I’ll bet it would be a hoot to find out how you get blacklisted by Chief Consentino from working in Atkinson. But do you think the blacklist is written down for review - probably not. And I assume so safely because when you read the rest of the report you will find that Chief Consentino doesn’t keep written records of most things a professional or competent police chief would – unless it is a list of possible elderly voters who support his political agenda.
Chief Consentino isn’t very smart but he is a punk and a bully. Just look at some of his ravings on YouTube.
The one single advantage Consentino has in Atkinson is the complete weakness of the people who have floated through the Board of Selectmen during Consentino’s reign of stupidity.
If I was a contractor in Atkinson I would hurry on down to the Town Office and ask for, under RSA 91-A, a copy of the “Atkinson Police Department Approved List of Contractors and 10% Discount Policy.”
The MRI Report says they have one.
And the gutless Selectmen thereby approve.
There was not a bad choice in the bunch... thanks to all of them for stepping up.
Given this is just a short-term interim assignment, Paul Sullivan is probably most able to hit the ground running. Paul's recent experience qualifies him, and I believe he demonstrated an independence of thought that many here desire. One may not agree with his every position, but he is beholden to no one.
Todd has done good work for the town and will get his chance for 3 years at election time if he can convince enough voters. But Paul is more-ready right now.
I'd love to see some of the others throw in at election time too so we can have a real race for a change.
As far as the IT committee is concerned, they wrote a report, made recommendations etc. We still have a failed website, no internet to watch meetings etc. We have a Town failing in technology. So how can you say they did so much? Not much has happened.
Generators don't work, file cabinets galore, PD write everything down twice befor ehtey enter it into computer. We have lots to do in this area, not much has been done yet.
Did you read the 2010 Annual Town report on the Technology Committee? Quite a series of accomplishments from a group of volunteers. Again, people spout off without getting their facts straight. Read the annual report on the Technology Committee and then talk to me. You sound foolish.
As to your comment that has NOTHING to do with the Technology Committee: "Generators don't work, file cabinets galore, PD write everything down twice..."
Why don't you call Phil Consentino and put your questions to THAT failure?
Heck with it I say we blame everything on the next appointed selectmen. Who's with me?
It was a general statement about things that don't work.
Why don't you take some anger management classes?
I read the report. They assessed and made recommendations. They tried to get the town to fund the internet streaming of meetings. They are working on a new website.
Many of the things are not done yet. I have an issue with YOU stating how much has been done, when it's not too much considering they've been around for several years.
Give credit where credit is due.
PD doesn't use any up to date tools, paper, paper, paper.
I like Paul or Dave for this job.
People are concerned about the corruption in town. Lies told to the MRI investigator. A PD run like a casino. Elderly rides only for those who are approved. Private lists of contractors. More, mote, more. The Selectmen do nothing real about any of it.
Hey, give a speedpass to the selectmen so they can get gas from the elderly program. Quit the charade. If selectmen are not going to stop the corruption in Atkinson....have some fun at taxpayer expense.
Or Approve a a real big new PD station/ elderly affairs Mega Casino Complex. (Get the money from the elderly faster, bigger, better.)
Did you gamble at the elderly affairs casino recently? No? Sorry, no ride for you anytime soon. All our officers are busy at the crap tables.
Yup, separation of PD from elderly affairs is a bad idea.
Welcome to the Atkinson Elderly Casino--the VENETIAN-LION
We proudly offer the most luxurious high stakes gambling experience to our vulnerable elderly patrons. Denominations range all the way from $1.00 slots to roulette wheels where you can even put the will to your home against the house!! WE LOVE YOU. And located immediately off our high-limit gaming is our Lion's Gold Room! There you will rub shoulders with our new officers and select men who are always available to assist you with every request. Need a cane or walker to get to the gaming table? No problemo! Our town coffers are open to you.
Stop by and let us share the unmatched VENETIAN-LION experience. Need a ride to the VENETIAN-LION? You call, we haul!
It's a terrible slogan. I picture an elderly woman in a wheelbarrow, dress askew.
The IT assessment was done in the middle of 2009. Where do you get 'they've been around for several years'? Regardless, the best way to find out if there have been many accomplishments would be to ask what he's talking about.
OK, I can understand the sad and lonely elderly. Relatives moved out of state, kids drifted away and neighbors and friends pass too soon. There's nobody left to help but the town and the church. Sure, it would be nice to get a birthday card or flowers from Papa Consentino. And I can even buy handicapped elderly. You just can't make those appointments or even go food shopping or shovel the driveway anymore without help. And we all know what a fixed or falling income is like these days, don't we? How am I going to afford to live? Who's going to help pay the oil? But there is one thing I can't buy. If there are really 1000 elderly in town, which I think is inflated, how many of them are really in trouble financially and psychologically? I'll bet it's under 100. And what proportion still have family, neighbors and spouses that can lend a hand? And how many are truely poor and need help and how many are just Consentino Groupies and well-to-do free-loaders? Certainly not 1000.
There have been some accomplishments.
The Town gets in it's own way a lot and this is a case of that. They truly need to get up to speed as far as technology is concerned. All this paper, all these files, all this belief that everything has to be kept in a cabinet at TH or the PD is insane. We should have a better site, they are working on it and it be welcomed. The Town depts should be REQUIRED to listen to IT. We don't need several websites, several IT mgrs and everyone doing thier own (usually misguided) thing. IT should be running the show, it's not.
BOS force some change.
How many even want to go to him for help? Not me.
Now 6:14, there's a real team player!
Atkinson Selectmen and BudCom waste so much money on a derelict PD, Elderly Affairs fiasco and expensive thug lawyers because they get excessive dollars from taxpayers to squander on it all!
Do you get it?
Welcome to Atkinshame and the juicy, ingrained incompetence, malfiesiance and dishonesty.
Citizen malaise is much appreciated here in this sleepy town of Atkinson.. So stay scared and especiallly asleep. Keep your heads down, wackjob taxpayers, as all us astute Atkinson town officials learned and perfected how to interpret OUR laws and rules to supress YOUR rights! The scam's on you. The State DRA, our very expensive lawyers, manipulation of the local press and court system, and hell, even this blog..... We watched you, we learned, so we prevail....and laugh at you dumb, ignorant "taxpayers". We consume you and enjoy the feast.
"Where do you get 'they've been around for several years'?"
They finished the report in '09 but they started the previous year. It's been about 3 years since the BOS first requested volunteers. Check your meeting minutes, it's there.
We need someone who will staighten out the PD once and for all. Job ONE.
First, 3 years since requesting volunteers does not mean the committee has been around for three years. Second, 3 is a few, not several. I checked the minutes and June 16th of 2008 is when the selectmen decided to start advertising. Dave Hammond and Joyce LaFrance were appointed in September. Todd Barbera was appointed in November. Given that they've been around LESS than 3 years. Your statements are false and misleading.
Mrs. Lafrance. That didn't really work out quiet like you wanted it too. Seems that all the rumors and false stories made up by you and you half wit mafia went unnoticed. So what is the next step for you and your cohorts. Maybe turn to your husband? Oh yeah that's right. Maybe start talking to yiur cats? Meow mix meow mix please deliver. Here Is what I suggest, you pack up the truck and you move to Beverly. Hills that's is.
MRI reporter
Mrs. Lafrance. That didn't really work out quiet like you wanted it too. Seems that all the rumors and false stories made up by you and you half wit mafia went unnoticed. So what is the next step for you and your cohorts. Maybe turn to your husband? Oh yeah that's right. Maybe start talking to yiur cats? Meow mix meow mix please deliver. Here Is what I suggest, you pack up the truck and you move to Beverly. Hills that's is.
MRI reporter
Mrs. Lafrance. That didn't really work out quiet like you wanted it too. Seems that all the rumors and false stories made up by you and you half wit mafia went unnoticed. So what is the next step for you and your cohorts. Maybe turn to your husband? Oh yeah that's right. Maybe start talking to yiur cats? Meow mix meow mix please deliver. Here Is what I suggest, you pack up the truck and you move to Beverly. Hills that's is.
MRI reporter
Is this a prelude to another house and car being vandalized in an effort to get residents to move if the Chief doesn't like them? Anyone who asks for services and interferes with the master plan is a target in this Town. No one is moving on but you, so why don't you just keep this up long enough for you to be fired, arrested or sued again.
Why are the Chief supporters the only ones on this blog who threaten residents? What does that tell you about them?
September 2008 and October, 2011 are three years apart. It was started 3 years ago.
Several means more than two, it also means a few. Look that up now.
Stop nit picking. The point was that the committee has been around long enough, it's not brand new.
The tactic of personal harassment whether by officers, selectmen, town attorneys, town thugs, town moderators doesn't work well against hardened, patriotic Americans who are willing to stand up and fight bullies. You might win a particular fight but you are still in a world of hurt. Because we have courage! Courage changes the ball game and your thug tactics are a losing game. Cause we love a good win against a bully.
Have you noticed the ranks of the intelligent, tough, brave patriots has grown? And we know how to defend our territory.
Since Todd was appointed in November they couldn't have had a meeting before then. Less than 2 years. First you claimed that the technology committee didn't do anything and had no money. Someone showed that was wrong. Then you spout off about generators and file cabinets. Hello??? Anybody home? So when someone pointed to the report they submitted in the 2010 annual report, now it's that there is still a lot to do. Consistent much? I don't think so.
I,s votes fer Dancin Bear Barbara If he is Eyetalian. Udderwse, I vote for dutther builda. We needs builda,s cause dey is born law mockers. Yup, trey run govment fer to make business good for demselves! jus asks Donal Trumphs, law mocker DE GREAT!
What exactly have they done?
Tell me. Lots of planning, things in progress.
What is finished besides reports?
It's closer to 3 years than 2, so YOU are wrong.
File cabinets full of paper are a concern. IT looked at this and recommended they archive using an outside vendor. It's still not done.
Nothing happening.
I truly hope you are not Todd and being such a nit pick Mr. Right.
Contact the Atkinson Technology Committee members directly and I am sure they can answer your questions. This thing called a telephone, use it. Stop using a blog for your information source and do your own homework.
Yes, the paper is a concern and it was addressed in their assessment. I just went back and looked at it so I'll give you that. No, I'm not Todd otherwise I would have known that. Their report to the town lists what they've been doing. I could cut and paste it but I'm sure you can read it for yourself. Looks like a lot more than nothing to me.
I did not blame them for not getting the important stuff done, I object to the poster who said Todd got the technology stuff done.
"especially fixing the town's technology mess, that none of the other candidates can claim."
See Oct 4, 12:11 PM
Craig Shuster is our newly appointed selectman. Congratulations Craig. Welcome to hell.
To October 5 at 12:44PM: At least Schuster only has to live through 5months of hell and then can leave if he wants.
Anyone who wants to run for a full term is a glutton for punishment!
This too shall end. Everything does.
Then, this is the perfect opportunity to remind our Selectmen that we live in a democracy with a small "d". The majority does not rule. Even the minority that leave "deer tracks" on this blog have rights. We live in a Constitutional Republic, dear Selectmen. We elect you to make decisions for us. Part of your responsibility as Selectmen is to make sure the majority doesn't stomp on the rights of the minority. So tell Chief Consentino to burn all those dossiers he's keeping on residents, stop following residents through town as they conduct their business, stop intimidating residents, police light flashing, on their property and businesses over politics and for Gods sake stop evicting families from public meetings.
There, I said it and I'm glad.
maybe now we can get the town projects out to bid and done
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