Saddened by Windsor's portrayal, selectboard chair resigns

To the Editor:
Dear Townspeople of Windsor:
I am saddened by the tone that Windsor is being portrayed to the public as, through the gossip mill, the newspapers, and all the electronic and other type methods being employed to scar Windsor’s name. Facts are being distorted, changed, or otherwise made up to make a point. It was brought to my attention that on the computer blog there has been an incorrect amount posted of $80/hr when it is really $60/hr for State police coverage in what we as Selectmen feel is a very serious issue, the lives and safekeeping of the people of the Town from potential violence, incidentally done at the urgent request of the Lieutenant in charge of State Police Troop B, responsible to Windsor for protection. That potential is not a widespread “neighborhood of hoodlums” creating a problem, but an isolated resident with issues that don’t concern the vast majority of people who live in the neighborhood. To state otherwise anywhere by anybody is an out and out lie.
Allegations have been made by those amongst us that we the Selectmen willfully lie and hide things that are taking place within the Town. Nothing could be further from the truth. Speaking for myself only, I have never intentionally attempted to cover anything up in this Town for any reason. I have never willfully broken any laws,but that is not to say that through my own stupidity there may have been times I was not aware of the myriad of laws governing towns and how they may operate and may have made mistakes. Nothing was ever done with any lack of respect for any person, issue, or law. I take offense to those saying otherwise.
We as Selectmen have worked tirelessly over the past 2 years to right a wronged ship. We have admitted our errors, corrected those we have been able, and try to do things correctly. We have contacted the State with questions, gotten answers that we have given to you folks, who are the Town, only to be told at times that some of you had asked the State the same questions and gotten different answers. Somehow in all of this the Selectmen are portrayed as the wrongdoers in these situations and that we are lying, far from the truth. The State needs as well to get their organization straightened out. I only wish that the State held its’ ethics as high as I know we do here in Windsor. I believe beyond the shadow of doubt that the State of New Hampshire and in particular the DRA, and specifically, the State appointed auditor, Sandra Rourke, to the Town of Windsor hold a significant responsibility for the conditions that Windsor was in. Had they ever read our Auditor’s reports over the 8 or so years that everyone seems so upset about, they would have noticed either notations on the audits or letters with them either pointing out questions our Town auditors had, for any year, pertaining to the audits as were done during those years. The State never once even responded to any of the questions. Do they read them, I doubt it, because, if they did the job asked of them, they would have found errors. To say that the State “ recommended” the Town of Windsor have a CPA audit in their letter to us yearly,by the way, a “form” letter which every city and town receives annually, without any additional action was not much help to us. Maybe some additional assistance from the State would have not allowed us to get where we were. Which we are no longer there anymore and people need to realize it.
That does not mean we are not responsible to our Townspeople. Have we made mistakes, sure, I still make more than my share every day. I think of that every time I go flying. Looking down at the ground and hoping I don’t make any mistakes on my approach and landing which could jeopardize my life. However, it should never stop you from doing what you feel is necessary and important. If I worried about making mistakes I would never go up in my plane. We all make them and try to learn from them.
Do those of us that serve the Town have lives and responsibilities, personally much more than I care to have right now. Does it affect my performance as a Town official, yes it does and affects my work life and personal life even more than my Town work.
When the WCT came to the Selectmen initially, it was stated that the only concern they had was the collection of back taxes owed to the Town, nothing more, nothing less. I was approached privately at the Town hall by a member of the WCT to make that point perfectly clear and that if that issue was put on track we would not see him again. Why then, the tape recorders, video cameras, and copy machines. Why critique a week’s minutes like they are a court order pointing out things not in them or things that should be taken out. The minutes legally are the Selectmen’s way of having an outline of the meeting and their contents are approved by the Selectmen. We are all aware of the tax collection issue being addressed. An ongoing audit costing much more than is owed in back taxes is in the final stages of completion. That audit is for the year 2007 only, an issue that keeps being brought up almost weekly, but as has been pointed out by the auditor and the State DRA, the correct figures to be used by the Town for tax purposes for the past years already audited are the figures ascertained by Annette Poland. Melanson and Heath have reviewed that audit only to use it as reference for their work. Why every week the same questions, is the audit done, are we liening properties, are we collecting back taxes. All valid questions and all part of the process, but on advice of experts we were advised to wait until completion of this final audit. Please don’t bug the Selectmen again until it is finished.
It has been said that the Selectmen are responsible for the creation of 2 separate groups of people within the Town, which I affectionately refer to as the Hatfields and the McCoys. It has also been stated that I willfully allowed townspeople to voice their opinions towards issues people had with one another that I, as Chairman, should have ruled out of order and stopped. I firmly believe that the Town Hall is the correct place for residents and property owners to air their views and opinions and not air it in some half truth blog somewhere, then deny doing it. Here in this town hall is where passionate people come, whatever their belief, to discuss town issues. No one in this town is more passionate about Windsor than me, and my voice will continue to be heard, here in this building, and I ask anyone to voice their opinion where it counts most, right here. Win or lose from whatever view you have on an issue, that is the definition of democracy. Sometimes peoples emotions rise above what we may say is an appropriate level, which should be checked, but as long as that discussion is done with respect, that kind of discussion will continue and I hope flourish here. I try to live by the saying,” just because someone disagrees with you doesn’t mean they are a bad person.
Next, I want to talk about Holly and this being her last day working as the Selectmen’s secretary. The question was asked last week by Charlotte if we the Selectmen had any thing else we wanted to say, to which I said no. I do now. Holly took the job many years ago accepting a position that none of us at the time knew how or what it would evolve into. Basically, we paid the Town’s bills and dealt with phone calls, which created a need for someone to work a couple days a week to write checks and make and receive the calls. Today, that job has become the toughest job in Town, in my opinion. To say that Holly is not qualified for the position would be unfair, because I don’t think any of us here are properly qualified. I say this with all the respect and admiration that I have for Holly, what this Town needs right now is a computer savvy person with office management, organizational skills, and the bookkeeping skills to completely run the office. Holly on a weekly basis is inundated with responsibilities, people in her face, and office work she has little time to find to do. I know these issues stress her out unnecessarily. Did we go about this dismissal wrong, absolutely. None of us are very good at what is the right way to go about telling someone they no longer had a job. We as Selectmen have tried to assist working in the office getting files when we could, dealing with people on the phone as needed, and whatever else needed to be done in the office, but just dealing with the Selectmen end of the business is now as well overwhelming.
Holly, I love you dearly, you are a true friend and I apologize for the manner in which we conducted ourselves in delivering this bad news and wish we had done it much differently. I do feel that you will be thankful very shortly and I hope you can move forward with greater success in the future. As was posted on one of the blogs, you are being served up as a scapegoat for the ongoing issues in town. I want you to know that you are in no way part of the tax issue or any other issue and anyone who states such is making up yet another story. issue and anyone who states such is making up yet another story. With all this said, I, Thomas Carlson, being of mostly a sound mind, submit this letter to be added to this evening’s minutes being duly recorded.
As well, this letter is to serve as my formal resignation as Chairman of the Board of Selectmen of the Town of Windsor, New Hampshire, effective at the close of this evening’s meeting. I have been beaten up enough, there are those that will be happy and those that will be sad, but I do this to be able to continue to serve my beloved Windsor from a different seat in the hall. Serving this Town for the past 15 plus years has been a privilege I don’t take lightly. I will assist my replacement and my fellow Selectmen in any way at any time.
Thomas J Carlson