Things That Work vs. Things That Sound Good ...

I heard somebody criticize the letter in today's Cape Cod Times supporting the Superintendent because it

"seals the fate of ending the "Conference Committee," which currently is the only means of communication between the SC and the BOS since apparently the time old tradition of tri-board meetings is now obsolete due to the mind set of many town leaders as that being a waste of time."

I was one of the many who believed the old Tri-Board meetings were a colossal waste of time.  They were also not much of a "tradition" -- only 2 were held in my 4 years on the Board.  The first one was hosted by the FinCom -- it was really sort of an "almost Tri-Board Meeting" because there weren't enough seats and half the School Committee sat in the audience.

Months later, a second meeting was hosted by the school committee -- it consisted of 23 people (7 SC, 5 BOS, 9 FinCom, Supt & Town Mgr) sitting in a semi-circle repeating the phrases "think outside the box", "roll up our sleeves", "working together", "community input" and the words "communication", "challenging", "transparency", and "budget" -- in various and random sequences.  At the end of the meeting, we all shook hands and went home to watch CSI.

There was little discussion of controlling labor costs, there was little discussion of realistic contracts or controlling any specific operating costs.  If you can find the meeting video, its more painful than watching the Historical  Commission or the Planning Board (Sorry, Dan!).  Even back in "The Good Olde Days" there were several elected officials who were clueless about the realities of budget issues -- but they certainly never let that get in the way of making long-winded comments.

OK, I'm being cynical.

There were also a couple of occasions where the BOS and Selectmen met to discuss common concerns regarding control of labor costs.  Over Pizza and Diet Coke, we reviewed various operating scenarios.  These meetings had seemed productive and useful -- but they were discontinued amidst cries of "Foul!" after one team felt that the other had breached an agreement.  (But, I'm not going to re-open that old wound!)

Those were the thoughts in my mind when I invited the Chair and Vice Chair of both the Board of Selectmen and the Finance Committee to join myself and the Vice Chair of the School Committee to discuss common issues and concerns.  Some people squawked and clucked that they were being left out of the process.  Several FinCom members were concerned that communication, cooperation, and information could ruin their mystical "process".  Still others seemed convinced that we were forming an elite and secret shadow government intent on taking over the Town.  (Although, I'm not sure what we'd do with it!)

OK, I'm being cynical again.

When the dust settled, members of the SC and BOS did begin meeting on a monthly basis in a very public, posted meeting to discuss current events, budgetary concerns, upcoming issues, and (occasionally) the Red Sox -- hardly subversive, but definitely helpful.  One of the biggest goals of the group was to help kill rumors before they spun completely out of control in the very heated "Us vs. Them" society we seem to have become.

The reason the meetings worked so well was because the four of us were all working for a common goal -- we had no ulterior motives or secondary agendas.  We weren't intent on defending our actions, masking our lack of knowledge,  or circling the wagons on issues.  We discussed things that worked for our respective teams and things that hadn't  (For example -- it was pointed out to me that it would not be helpful to continue to point out that many of the folks speaking at Public Forum not only had no idea of what they were talking about -- but that they also rarely actually voted!)

Given the current cast of characters, I don't see that dynamic existing anymore -- and certainly not because the Chairman of the Selectmen joined his former School Committee colleagues in signing a letter supporting the Superintendent.

I would hope there are other "means of communication" between the Boards.  Telephones come to mind, and emails, and attendance at regular public meetings (or at least watching on SACAT).  The majority of the School Committee needs to tune in to what is going on in the rest of Town government.  Cooperation and communication should not require separate committees or 3-ring circuses disguised as Tri-Board meetings -- it requires that people actually read supporting documentation and ask questions for the purpose of gaining information -- not just playing for the camera.  It also requires that people do their homework BEFORE coming to a meeting and wasting everybody else's time while they get up to speed. 

OK, I'm being cynical again.

Communication between boards is a crucial and inherent part of being an elected official.  Unfortunately so isn't credibility and character.

OK, now I'm reallllllllly being cynical!