Accountability posts
Drafts ready to share. Click to copy, then post. Board of Selectmen · Amherst, NH · October 21, 2024.
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Multiple resignations including two in Community Development, with no public accounting of root causes
Amherst's Community Development Office lost its Director AND Executive Assistant. Recreation Director also resigned. A resident warned of a 'revolving door' on 10/21. The board accepted all resignations with no public explanation of why. Residents deserve answers.
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Scope of simultaneous leadership vacancies and administrative risk to residents
Amherst BOS (10/21): Three senior vacancies now open — Finance Director, Town Administrator, and Community Development Director. That's the town's top financial, executive, and planning roles. All at once. No hiring timeline was given.
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3% COLA set by consensus affecting FY26 budget and property taxes
Amherst BOS agreed to 3% COLA for town employees on 10/21 — no formal vote, just consensus. Ways & Means cautioned private sector wages grew only ~2.5% when CPI hit 5%. This is now the FY26 budget baseline. Taxpayers should know.
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Deferred decision on chronically failing equipment with growing repair costs
Amherst's DPW trackless machine — used for sidewalk clearing — has cost $35K in repairs over 2 years. A $152K replacement warrant article was proposed 10/21. The board deferred. The machine keeps breaking and attachments are 24 years old.
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THREAD: Amherst Board of Selectmen — 10/21/24. Three staff resignations, three senior vacancies, and a citizen's unanswered warning about a 'revolving door.' Here's what happened and why it matters. 🧵
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1/ Community Development Director Nick Strong resigned. So did the office's Executive Assistant. Separately, Recreation Director Craig Fraley also resigned. Three staff departures announced in a single meeting.
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2/ Resident Kelly Mullen raised the alarm during Citizens Forum: 'I'm incredibly concerned... There are significant land use applications coming up, and this office plays a critical role. I'm concerned about the revolving door in that office.' She asked the board to investigate.
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3/ The board's response: accepted all resignations unanimously, thanked departing staff, and said they'd reach out to Southern NH Planning Commission for interim coverage. No public explanation of causes. No investigation announced. Mullen's call for accountability went unaddressed.
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4/ It doesn't stop there. The board also discussed filling the Finance Director and Town Administrator roles — meaning Amherst currently faces vacancies in its top finance, executive, and planning positions simultaneously. That is a significant administrative risk.
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5/ Separately, the board reached consensus (no formal vote) on a 3% COLA for town employees as the FY26 budget baseline. Ways & Means member Steve Hodgkin cautioned: private sector wages rose only ~2.5% even when CPI hit 5%. This figure will affect your property tax bill.
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6/ On infrastructure: DPW's trackless machine (sidewalk clearing, roadside mowing) has needed $35,000 in repairs over two years. A $152,000 replacement warrant article was on the table. The board deferred — chairman said he needs to review funding options first.
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7/ Bottom line: Amherst has a leadership vacuum in key departments, an unexplained pattern of resignations in the Community Development Office, a deferred equipment decision that costs money every month it waits, and a budget baseline being set right now. Pay attention to the next few meetings.
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Longer-form draft.
**Amherst Board of Selectmen — October 21, 2024: What You Need to Know** Three staff resignations were announced at Monday's meeting: Community Development Director Nick Strong, the Community Development Executive Assistant, and Recreation Director Craig Fraley. All were accepted unanimously by the board. Craig Fraley's departure from Parks & Recreation was a separate matter, but the two Community Development resignations raised particular concern — and the board offered no public explanation of why two people left that office in close succession or what might be driving the departures. Amherst resident Kelly Mullen raised this directly during Citizens Forum. She warned of a 'revolving door' in the Community Development Office and pointed out that significant land use applications are pending — applications that office is responsible for processing. She asked the selectmen to investigate the underlying causes. The board acknowledged her concern and noted they would seek interim planning help from the Southern NH Planning Commission, but offered no commitment to investigate what's driving the departures. Residents who have land use applications in the pipeline — or who simply rely on consistent planning oversight — should be paying close attention to how this gets resolved. Beyond the Community Development situation, the board is now facing simultaneous vacancies in three senior leadership roles: Finance Director, Town Administrator, and Community Development Director. The board discussed beginning hiring processes, but no concrete timelines were given. Running a town with all three of those chairs empty — even temporarily — carries real risk for residents. On the budget front: the board reached informal consensus on a 3% cost-of-living adjustment for town employees as the starting point for FY26 budget planning. No formal vote was taken. Ways and Means member Steve Hodgkin cautioned that even when CPI hit 5%, private sector wages grew only about 2.5% — and argued town employee raises should be weighed against taxpayers' actual ability to pay. That 3% figure is now embedded in early budget discussions, which will affect the property tax rate. A special budget meeting has been scheduled for around October 28th — that's where these numbers start to solidify.