By Christine M. Quirk — Christine@concordbridge.org
Concord’s new middle school continues to be touched by controversy, with a former building committee member requesting — and then withdrawing his request — to remain on the board.
“A majority of the members considered it necessary to express that they have all the necessary skills and attributes for success within the current group and desire no change in the current composition,” Courtland Booth wrote to the Select Board on August 17.
“…I accept that I cannot contribute further if my service is not wanted.”
Booth initially wrote to the Select Board on July 23, noting he had been involved with the new middle school project from the beginning, including chairing the Design Subcommittee and working with the architects and project managers.
He had served on the CMSBC and the Concord School Committee but fell off after completing his second term earlier this year.
“Following past precedent with another School Committee member that precisely represents my own situation now, I trust that my desire to see the project through would not be considered unusual or controversial,” Booth wrote.
Consent agenda
Mark Howell, the Select Board’s clerk and its liaison to the CMSBC, originally proposed the motion for the July 22 Select Board consent agenda. That meant it would be voted on en masse with other routine items without discussion.
At that time, Board member Cameron McKennitt said he thought it was a “bad process” to propose such a change without any input from the building committee, which did not know of Booth’s request.
“We had received the request from Court Booth, who has served on this committee for quite some time,” Howell said, bringing forth the issue at the August 15 building committee meeting.
“[I] had no expectation that there was likely to be any concern because it’s really quite consistent with past practices.”
While CMSBC Co-Chair Pat Nelson acknowledged Howell’s point, she said the Select Board should have notified her committee.
“It really is not about the people,” she said. “It’s about the process.”
Howell said once he was aware committee members wanted to weigh in, he was glad to have the discussion, though he noted that approval — or rejection — of Booth’s request rested solely with the Select Board.
Precedent
Nelson said committee member Heather Bout was in a similar situation when her School Committee term ended. Bout was responsible for the group’s communications, and no one else could fulfill her role. The Select Board was then asked to expand the charter to allow Bout to continue.
“It’s not just a little thing to change the charter and to have the committee expand its membership,” Nelson said.
“I want to… really keep the focus on whether or not we as a committee want to request that the Select Board expand, and then if we do, what are the areas or skills or attributes that we want in a new member to enhance our work.”
CMSBC Co-Chair Dawn Guarriello asked why Booth’s request had not come up on July 18 when the consent agenda was posted.
“I just want to point out that process and governance should be transparent,” she said. “From where I sit, [one] of our biggest issues with this is the lack of transparency.”
Howell said he had not seen the request as “controversial or substantive.”
“As soon as I became aware of the fact that there were going to be concerns about this, we decided to postpone it until this group could meet,” he said. “I’m really interested in hearing from all of you.”
“I think it’s a highly functioning committee,” Peter Fischelis, a community representative, said. “I really don’t see that we are lacking in any area that would warrant a request to have a member join us.”
‘Discomfort or anxiety’
Before the vote, Howell said there were “other ways” for members — and the public — to have input on the issue and understood that for some, publicly expressing an opinion might be uncomfortable.
“I think the Select Board is listening carefully,” Howell said. “I have received some input from members of the committee, as well as members of the public on this subject, some of which have come to the Select Board in the form of correspondence, and some of it private. So you know, all of those avenues are available.”
The CMSBC voted 9-2 against expansion.
After the vote, Howell apologized, saying he took responsibility if he had created “discomfort or anxiety.”
Nelson said she knew that had not been Howell’s intention.
“To me, it was much more of a process issue,” she said. “I worry that personalities took the forefront in some ways, in people’s minds, but I don’t think this is a personalities or a people issue. … It was just how it was done.
“And I’m hoping to send a message to the Select Board [that] I feel strongly that that kind of process needs to be followed, that committees are consulted before things come up to the Select Board,” Nelson said.
Booth’s letter said he did not expect his request to generate the controversy it did.
“I regret that my well-intended request, and Select Board response that assumed good intentions on my part, was made controversial by several people I’ve yet to meet,” he wrote.
“I look forward [to] discussing their concerns if they wish. In the meantime, my public service to the schools and on the Building Committee is on the record, and always available on public access video, for those seeking an informed opinion. I wish the Building Committee continued success and know that they will take great pride in opening a soon-to-be superior new educational facility.”
