By Will Collette
NOTE: the links to committee applicants have been repaired. If you have trouble linking to those documents, please send us an e-mail.
One of the left-over agenda items from the June 11 Town Council meeting due to be handled at the June 25th continuation is the choice of a group of citizens to review applications and vet applicants who want to be Charlestown’s next Town Administrator.
One of the left-over agenda items from the June 11 Town Council meeting due to be handled at the June 25th continuation is the choice of a group of citizens to review applications and vet applicants who want to be Charlestown’s next Town Administrator.
Personally, I think the search, and certainly the selection,
should wait. There are, after all, only 140 days to the November election and
as the philosopher Alex Trebek often says, “that’s when the scores can really
change.”
That person would replace Bill DiLibero who was forced out
by a vicious campaign of character assassination by the Charlestown Citizens
Alliance and its allies, as well as others, including Council member Lisa DiBello and her allies who were also gunning
for DiLibero.
After the notorious “Kill Bill” campaign and the notoriously
short career life expectancy of C-Town’s chief exec, it will be interesting to
see who applies.
But Town Administrators and Managers tend to be a pretty
tough breed who frequently change jobs, often because they have to. Even those
town executives who keep their heads down and try not to offend anyone
eventually wear out their welcome.
So in Charlestown ,
we prepare for our regular and frequent ritual of seeing who we can hire who
can meet the wildly varied political, social and economic interests of the
citizen searchers who must then present their recommendations to the Town
Council for the final decision to hire.
The last Charlestown Town Administrator, the one that
recommended Bill DiLibero, consisted of 15 members. This time, there are 19
applicants.
Here they are. Note: the links are Clerkbase links to their
application for this positions, often with an attached resume.
Ron Areglado |
Ronald J. Areglado. The first applicant listed on the Town
Council agenda, Areglado has become a frequent fixture at Council meetings.
Part of the Ill Wind RI anti-wind energy NIMBY group. An educator
holding a Ph.D., Areglado has been school principal at many schools, include
Charlestown Elementary and staffed a national educational organization in Washington , DC .
He lists his current occupation as “President, Center for Ethical and Moral
Leadership.” I found no listing for that organization in the RI Secretary of
State’s database or Westlaw. Could be an unincorporated association.
Susan H. Ogle, Ms. Ogle lists her occupation as “corporate
training consultant.”
Sean White, He lists his occupation as software engineer.
He currently serves on the Affordable Housing Commission.
Christopher J. Sheehan, Sheehan was a bank vice-president and notes
that he served on the last four Town Administrator Search Committees.
Richard H. Hosp, Retired, Hosp served on the 2008-10 Town
Council as a CCA endorsed member until he was “excommunicated” by the CCA for
the heresy of voting for the Whalerock industrial wind farm. He currently
serves on the Budget Commission. His son David is a best-selling mystery writer
who was named by recently retired Police Chief
Jack Shippee as his favorite author.
Peter W. Arnold, Arnold
notes on his application that he was a banker for 50 years. He is also one of Charlestown ’s scions and
a pretty well known figure.
Richard Sartor |
Richard J. Sartor, Speaking of well-known figures, Sartor was
former Charlestown Town Administrator himself, after retiring as long-time town manager in Manchester, CT. According to Council member Lisa DiBello ’s lawsuit, DiBello v. Charlestown , Sartor was responsible for
starting a 5-year conspiracy against her. DiBello is also accusing Sartor of
recruiting DiLibero to come to Charlestown
for higher pay, in return for which, DiLibero allegedly promised to fire
DiBello. Sartor currently heads the town’s Budget Commission.
Janice Falcone, Janice Falcone is the owner and proprietor of
Charlestown ’s
historic treasure, the recently reopened General Stanton Inn. She is currently serving on the Economic
Improvement Commission.
Anne M. Irons, Irons lists her occupation as Narragansett
Town Clerk. I’ll bet she has some stories to tell about the very recent
termination of Narragansett’s Town Manager Grady Miller.
Leo Mainelli |
Leone Mainelli, A founding member and Treasurer of the Charlestown Citizens Alliance (CCA). Mainelli retired
to Charlestown after working as an engineer at
Pratt & Whitney in Connecticut .
Janice Carlson, Carlson is an R.N. She lists her occupation
as “court advocate for victims of domestic violence.
Arthur R. Ganz, Ganz is a retired marine biologist and is
currently serving as President of the Salt Pond Coalition.
David R. Bailey, Bailey does not list a lot of detail on his
application, saying he used to be in health care. He is currently serving on
the Budget Commission.
Dr. Dolph Santiello, Dr. Santiello is not the go-to guy if you
have a stomach ache – his doctorate is in Public Administration. He lists his
current occupation as “consultant and instructor.” Santiello is a Sonquipaug
resident.
Vaughn P. Ballard, Ballard is one of two Town employees to apply
for this committee. He is a sergeant on the Charlestown Police Department. Editor's note - I have been told my two readers that Sgt Ballard is retired although this is not mentioned in his application (see linked document).
Stephen Hoff, Hoff is a CPA and a frequent speaker at Town
Council meetings, usually on financial issues. He lists his current occupation
as “Scrutineer.”
J. Lawrence Dunn, In the interest of full disclosure, Dr. Dunn
is our veterinarian. He was elected and re-elected numerous times to Planning
Commission. He was an articulate defender of the Frosty Drew Observatory during the dark sky lighting ordinance debate. He also helps the Mystic Aquarium’s very cool Marine Mammal Rescue center.
JoAnne Santos. Santos is the second Town employee to apply
for this committee. The first is Police sergeant Vaughn Ballard. Santos is Charlestown Tax
Collector.
Steven Santos. This Santos
is the spouse of the other Santos .
He is the manager of Wyoming Auto Parts.
By and large, this is a distinguished group of prospective
committee members, many with long years of service to the town or outstanding
professional backgrounds and in some cases, both.
We need as good a Town Administrator as we can get so I
again wonder if now is a good time to recruit before the dust and smoke of the
“Kill Bill” campaign has settled.
Yes, of course life goes on and the show must go on, but
with elections so close, what’s the rush?
If a new Town Administrator is hired in a hurry, that person
will almost certainly face a very different Town Council in November. Given the
current Council’s record of trouble and turmoil, we may see a whole lot of new
faces come November.
People in the market for town executive jobs know that job
security is often tied to elections and we may not get the best applicants now,
since they face the uncertainty of November. Nobody likes to start a new job
and be told not to bother to unpack your boxes.