Time to Make a decision

[kevinb]

When does a business decision become personal? when does a personal issue become business? how do you decipher one from the other?

Answer: Follow the charter of the town you manage as their CEO. Communicate with the residents of the town you have a fiduciary responsibility to uphold. Do not place your personal business ahead of the town that employ's you.

This is not a personal attack, it is a business decision plain and simple. In past years there have been some stories surrounding corporations who had CEO's that did not follow a business plan and needed a bailout from the government. we know them as Enron, Bank of America, Chrysler, General Motors, AIG etc.... Every single time this happen it was because the CEO ,the Board of Directors, the CFO did not inform the stockholders of the issues, the hemorrhage of spending. this did not happen overnight but over a period of time usually years. many times it was the CEO believing they can fix it with short term budget cuts. however many times it is because the Boards allows them to work in this mind set that allows the financial stability to erode away. thus going to the government claiming we are to big to be allowed to fail, you need to bail us out.

This is what happened here, it was the Town Manager believing he could fix this issue with the Town Health Insurance issue. instead of bringing it to the town meeting floor and bring all up to speed years ago that there is a problem.
however we are different in one way because we are not a private or public corporation. we are a municipal Government in which we have a charter that dictates who is in charge of our fiduciary responsibility.

It not designed for one person but many people and boards to be the checks and balances for this process to keep the taxpayer out of jeopardy. the principles for fiduciary responsibility is the Town Manager, the Accountant who answer to the Select Board who answer the residents of the town. we also have a finance committee who oversee's the spending after approving the budget line items at town meetings and the residents vote on each line item. the fin com also has a small discrepancy amount to use when dept's overspend during the current budget year.  they will go in front of the fin com and present their issue.  we as a town always have a second town meeting and there was never any report or statement made about the self insured Health insurance starting to creep into the red years past.

The only good business not personal decision to make here is to change the culture of the way we do business and remove the CEO, The Board Of Selectmen and if need be change the culture on the Fincom. It seems many people who are against this business plan are the people who are in these positions. this is the only way to fix this issue, you do not reward a CEO who states he can fix it. this CEO neglected to report to us when it was a little problem, we could have fixed it. the culture of the select board was and is to follow the CEO lead. they had a responsibility to inform us also. but this culture with the board is to act ignorant. everyone is claiming they did not know. it was their job to be informed.

Tthis is why it is important for change because if they didn't know in the past they will not know again in the future. the only business solution is to change the CEO?TM and the members of the Board Of Selectmen. nothing personal just all business, no vendetta just good business practice.

The TM and the Select Board have in the past Fired, Removed and Not hired similar employee's past Board Members and Vendors in similar and other situations but not at this magnitude of loss of revenue. Now it's their turn to do the right thing, the best business decision for Winchendon and resign before being recalled and terminated.