December 30, 2008
Union Leader
HOOKSETT – Town Councilor Pat Rueppel is calling for the resignation of five fellow council members who signed an employment contract outside of an official meeting.
“There are seasoned councilors who signed it. They knew better,” Rueppel said. “You have to have a meeting. You have to have a discussion and vote on it. I don’t think it was ignorance on any of their parts.”
Council Chairman Dave Dickson has said he was wrong to solicit signatures for the interim town administrator’s contract, telling critics at a recent meeting, “I appreciate your comments. Lesson learned.”
Dickson initially defended his decision, saying he was acting in good faith and that he was trying to wrap up loose ends during the busy holiday season.
Only five signatures were needed to activate the contract, which was awarded to former Meredith Town Manager Carol Granfield. The contract sets Granfield’s hourly rate at $70.
Other councilors contacted to sign the contract were Paul Loiselle, Jim Gorton, Bill Gahara and George Longfellow. Of the four remaining councilors, at least three had no idea the contract was being signed, according to comments made during a recent council meeting.
Rueppel says the way the chairman conducted the business transaction was inappropriate and illegal.
“I don’t know why (Dickson) did it, but he knew what he was doing. I’m very much by the book, and I won’t put up with this kind of garbage behind the scenes,” she said.
Attempts to reach Dickson for comment yesterday were unsuccessful.
Gorton said he signed the contract after a chance encounter with Dickson in Town Hall. He said he ran into the chairman when he stopped by the town offices to sign a tax anticipatory note.
Dickson asked him if he would sign the contract. Gorton obliged.
“There was no secret meeting,” Gorton said. “There was no phone poll or anything else. It was just, I happened to be there.”
He added, “If Councilor Rueppel does not have a problem with people showing up to sign a tax note outside of a meeting, then why should she have such a large problem with individuals signing a contract which they are in total agreement with?”
Councilor At-Large Mike Pischetola said Rueppel was “a little bit too harsh” in calling for the five councilors’ resignations. Still, he criticized Dickson, saying, “I think the chairman, in his zest to get something done, probably didn’t use good judgment, and it backfired on him.
“I really, truly think he knew that doing it that way may cause unrest. (And) he did it, anyway.”
Hooksett’s council has been looking for a new town administrator since David Jodoin resigned from the position in November. The council is working with Municipal Resources Inc., which placed Granfield to fill the vacancy.
Rueppel said Municipal Resources Inc. received the signed employment contract on Dec. 16, one day before the council was scheduled to discuss the document.
“The faces change, but the smoke-filled, back-room political chicanery still goes on,” she said. “I’ve been on the council for a while, and shenanigans have been going on and on for a long time and now I’m sick of it.”
The council will meet next Jan. 14 at 6:30 p.m.