Resident asks Select Board to reconsider Cultural Commission appointment, raises questions about Friends of the Public Library

During the public-comment period of the Town of Middleborough Select Board meeting on Feb. 10, 2025, a resident asked the board to add an agenda item to examine recent disputes between the library trustees and the Friends of the Public Library nonprofit, and asked the board to reconsider appointing Paula Fay to the Cultural Commission.

The resident said the Friends group and library trustees have been the subject of public statements the resident described as "lies, half truths, mischaracterizations" and asked the board to schedule a discussion of the matter. The resident also said, "I ask that you reconsider the appointment of Paula Fay to the Cultural Commission as she's giving this town a black eye with her words and her actions," and asked whether there is public accounting for grants the town awards to outside nonprofits.

Select Board members responded during the meeting by noting that appointments to the Cultural Commission are a Select Board responsibility, not a town-manager appointment. Sue Nickerson, the town finance director, told the meeting she and others review grant applications and reimbursements before payments are made. "I can confirm to you that I look through those grant applications as well as Sue Nickerson as well as the town manager to validate each and every one of them before the checks get cut or any reimbursements get approved," the transcript records (attribution: Finance Director Sue Nickerson). A Select Board member said activity by outside nonprofit groups is not always under the board's purview unless it affects the town.

Why it matters: The remarks request formal review by elected officials of relations between an official board (library trustees) and a local nonprofit; they also raise questions about transparency in town grant administration. The board did not take immediate formal action on the request during the meeting.

Next steps: The resident asked that the item be scheduled "as soon as possible" for a future Select Board agenda. The meeting record does not show a subsequent vote to place the item on a future agenda; follow-up would require a formal request by a board member or a future agenda vote.