Sunday, December 17, 2006

Citizens Push Selectmen to Mediate Their Differences

When our elected officials can't work with each other, business grinds to a halt. Recently, I've seen an increase in the number of towns seeking to resolve conflicts in their working relationships through mediation. This story comes from Massachusetts. Take note! The citizens pushed them to do it.

Town hire mediation firm - The Beacon-Villager

Town hire mediation firm
By Chrissie Long
Thursday, December 14, 2006 - Updated: 08:00 AM EST

Selectmen hired a mediation group for the purpose of resolving internal conflict and agreed to spend no more than $3,200.

The decision to work with an outside professional came in the wake of a citizen’s petition filed a few days before Thanksgiving. Residents called the board ineffective and dysfunctional due to poor communication and conflicts between selectmen and professional staff.

Recognizing their may be a problem, selectmen agreed to look outside the board for a solution. Last night, they approved a $3,200 reserve fund transfer to cover costs of the mediation.

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