Selectmen Put Harbor Advisory Committee on Notice

The chairman of the Board of Selectmen asked fellow members to dissolve the Harbor Advisory Committee on Wednesday, saying the panel was counterproductive.

Board members were unwilling to take that step.

Instead, they opted to wait until the committee members' re-appointments are up in June.

By then the town will have a new town administrator in place who may have some ideas as to how to proceed with the committee, the selectmen said.

But the selectmen's chairman, Matt Strauss, advocated for tearing down the committee and building something new.

One idea was having a few individuals work with the town administrator and harbormaster on harbor matters. The chairman said the committee has flouted the will of selectmen.

Most recently the harbor group formed a subcommittee, he said, to meet with the Army Corps of Engineers and in opposition to the town's plan to dredge Swampscott Harbor.

When the committee disagrees with selectmen they go off on their own and oppose the board, he said. 

Audience member Mary Ellen Fletcher said selectmen were being disrespectful to the volunteers on the committee when they said at a November meeting that the panel was dysfunctional.

Furthermore, she said the panel only made recommendations and it was up to the board to accept the recommendations or not.

The selectmen's chairman said he stood by his comments and was convinced that the committee is not doing what it was assembled to do.

It's not personal, Strauss said.

Selectman Barry Greenfield said that did not appear to be the case. "It sounds very personal," Greenfield said to the chairman.

The chairman said no, it is a matter of selectmen deciding to rebuild the panel, otherwise problems with them will continue.

Jill Sullivan said selectmen end up spending more time dealing with the Harbor panel than on more important matters such as one brought up by residents at Wednesday's meeting — drainage in the Vinnin Square area.

Selectman Rich Malagrifa, the board's liaison to the harbor group, said they had accomplished a number of items in the past year.

They pushed to get the drains fixed at the Fish House, to clean up the beach, and get pram racks built.

A few selectmen, including Selectman Greenfield, said they were unwilling to disband the group without hearing from their chairman.

In the end the selectmen opted to wait and consult with the new town administrator.

Selectman Sullivan said this will put the advisory panel on notice that selectmen are serious about resolving ongoing conflict.