Community Corner

Selectmen Make Harbormaster Annual Appointment

The position is subject to reappointment June 30. Meanwhile, the harbormaster maintains his term should remain permanent.

 

Selectmen voted unanimously Wednesday to make the harbormaster an annual appointment, saying the annual review will inspire accountability.

Board Chairman Matt Strauss and board member Jill Sullivan said Harbormaster Larry Bithell had become unaccountable to former Town Administrator Andrew Maylor and some members of the public.

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Bithell's 33-year tenure will be reviewed before renewal for the next fiscal year, which starts July 1.

Bithell and his lawyer, Neil Rossman, were at Wednesday's hearing on complaints about the harbormaster’s job performance, conduct and term of appointment.

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Rossman disagreed with the board's decision to review the position annually and with the accountability and conduct assessments.

Since 1998 the harbormaster position has been listed as a permanent position in the town report, though town officials and their lawyer, Darren Klein, said there is no record of how the postion became permanent.

The harbormaster and Rossman maintain the position should remain permanent.

Rossman said he expects his client would challenge town officials' decision should they vote to not reappoint Bithell as harbormaster.

As far as the accountability question goes, the lawyer said his client was accountable to the extent that his position and budget allowed.

Rossman said the harbormaster, paid a $6,830 salary and given a $3,500 budget, had been asked by Maylor to perform duties that would command a $20,000 salary and a larger budget.

He said Bithell had asked Maylor for proper funding on multiple occassions to support a small harbor with almost 200 boats and was denied each time.

The acting town administrator, Dave Castellarin, said the harbormaster had not submitted a budget for two years.

Selectman Sullivan said people she has spoken with did not feel that they had been given a fair shake by the harbormaster.

One of the complaints cited by the board was that the harbormaster told people there was a waiting list for moorings but he failed to produce the list when asked to do so.

The harbormaster said he had not told people there was a waiting list.

There are regulations he has to abide by, given the available space in the harbor, but there was no waiting list for a regular size boat, he said.

He said he accommodated six new boats this past season.

Rossman said Bithell was answerable, as a public safety official, to waterway division officials.

Essentially, he said, his client was in a thankless position and he invariably had to say no to some requests due to safety concerns.

Board member David Van Dam said he will support Bithell's reappointment in June.

In fact, Van Dam said he didn't understand why there was an issue after 33 years.

"I'm very confused as to why this is coming to a head now," he said.

Board member Barry Greenfield said there was culpability on both sides.

The harbormaster needs to be more accountable and the town needs to devote more resources to the position, he said.


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