Reporter’s Notebook: Last hurrah for Meekins, Select Board heads into the woods
Congratulations to Rebecca Meekins, who has officially had her very last Grafton Select Board meeting.
The assistant town administrator gave her notice Monday and her last day of work is Friday — a short timeframe that she acknowledged when she confessed that she may not be able to get to certain things the Select Board asked her.
She did, however, receive good wishes from the board, which in August denied her the interim town administrator spot now held by Carter Terenzini.
“Whatever community you go to will be lucky to have you,” Select Board member Doreen DeFazio said.
Select Board Chairman Peter Carlson recalled Meekins starting as an intern for former Town Administrator Tim McInerney, returning to Grafton in 2016.
“You have done an outstanding job,” he said.
Meekins was silent through most of the meeting, occasionally smiling at her computer screen throughout the Zoom.
One last note, Becca — the wall colors in your home remain choice. What paint shade is that deep blue?
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Acting Town Administrator Carter Terenzini needed the Select Board’s help getting him out of an ethically awkward spot: he needs to pay himself for his services.
“As one of the duties of this office, I am required to review the payroll and accounts payable warrants. My salary and occasional travel reimbursements are paid by means of those approved warrants. While the warrants have not contained any such payments to date, they will.”
“You must, by majority vote, determine that my ‘financial interest is not so substantial as to be deemed likely to affect the integrity of the services which the municipality may expect from the employee.’”
The Select Board voted to keep Terenzini away from the possible clutches of the Massachusetts Ethics Commission.
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Tuesday’s meeting is not the only Select Board excitement this week!
On Wednesday, the intrepid fivesome is headed down the newly paved driveway to the Grafton Lions Club, where they will adorn themselves with bug spray and meet — socially distanced and masked one hopes — in person for the first time since COVID-19 forced everyone onto Zoom for public meetings.
The meeting will not be taped for broadcast but is open to the public. Anyone venturing out should be warned: this is the long-delayed “Select Board goals” session, and excitement may be limited.
Try not to get EEE, don’t allow scary guys carrying sharp objects into the room (a hockey mask is not recommended for COVID-19 prevention), and keep an eye out for that last abandoned rooster, gang.
When are all the town employees going back to WORK in the town offices?