Select Board to discuss personnel matter in executive session after public meeting; town manager objects to repeated legal consultations

The Select Board voted to move into executive session after the regular meeting to discuss a personnel matter and related attorney consultation.

During public comment on the agenda item, the interim town manager said she had reviewed the prior meeting record and denied any wrongdoing related to a question about a town computer and a contract; she said repeated calls to the town’s attorney, and the prospect of additional legal engagement, had left her and other employees on edge. She said she had worked overtime and was frustrated by ongoing inquiries and rumors. Several board members and attendees urged clearer public communication where possible while acknowledging privacy limits for personnel matters.

Board members discussed whether the board had formally voted to consult the attorney or merely reached a consensus to seek legal advice; one board member asked for a public show of hands about who had voted to involve counsel. The chair and others said discussions that require privacy should be handled in executive session and that any formal vote on attorney engagement would be done in public as required by law.

A motion was made that the board go into executive session after adjournment at 9:08 p.m.; the board resolved logistics for waiting nearby so members of the public could remain available. The board did not take public action on personnel removal or discipline during the meeting; the executive-session discussion was scheduled to occur with restricted access.