Tree Advisory Board ranks four applicants and recommends three to town clerk

The Tree Advisory Board met in a special session on April 22, 2006, to score four applicants for three open positions and agreed to forward the top three candidates to the town clerk for appointment consideration.

The board used a four-question scoring form (each question scored 1–5). Tom, who collected and tallied members’ scores, announced the totals after members read their scores aloud into the meeting record: Jason Schimmel received a combined score of 100, Liana Walsh 96, Patty O’Donnell 83 and Cameron Hanlon 67. "It appears as though Jason Schimmel has a 100," Tom said when reporting the results. The board agreed with the order and declined further discussion.

Why it matters: The top three ranked candidates will be the board’s recommendations to the town for formal appointment; the board’s process and the archived scorecards provide the selection record.

How the process worked: The Chair opened the special meeting at 6:38 p.m., confirmed a quorum, and members approved the meeting agenda at the start of the session. Members reviewed linked application materials embedded in the meeting agenda, discussed candidate merits briefly, completed the scoring form independently, and read their numbers aloud for Tom to enter into a spreadsheet. Tom asked members to photograph their signed scorecards and email the images to the town clerk so the clerk would have a duplicate record; he also said he would deliver the assembled spreadsheets to the clerk the following day.

What members said: Members praised applicants’ community involvement and experience where applicable. On Cameron Hanlon, one member said Hanlon “strikes me as someone that cares about the community” and noted prior planting experience. Several members characterized experience as valuable but said enthusiasm and fit to the board’s outreach goals were important.

Next steps and scheduling: The Chair said April minutes were not circulated and will be approved at the June meeting. Tom noted the town canceled May meetings for many boards because delayed appointment timelines meant some boards would lack quorums; the advisory board agreed to reconvene in June for follow-up and an Arbor Day debrief. The special meeting adjourned at 7:05 p.m.

Records and transparency: Tom instructed members to send photos of signed scorecards to the town clerk to create a public record of the scoring and said he would provide the underlying spreadsheets to the clerk as well.