1. Every applicant who applied should have at very least had the courtesy of being notified either in person or in writing that they were not being considered any further for the position. If they took the time to put in the effort to apply, dependency and common courtesy says the same should be afforded to them.
2. Everyone asking for consideration should have had to go through the same process. Anything less raises concerns that will be very difficult for anyone to overcome. The BOS made a decision to appoint Sargeant Moran to the position of Interium Chief. I wonder if it ever crossed their minds how they might look if she had to go through the regular process and had not even made the final cut and then was dropped from consideration.
3. When I encounter people who do not want or allow others to express their opinions, that always raises a red flag to me. There always will be leaders and followers and it has been my experience that leaders do not want their “power” usurped. Allowing Chief Unsworth to consult with the Chief of Police committee had the potential to change opinions. There was nothing written, which would have forced you to take his suggestions and do anything. I wonder what was so scary about listening to him.
4. There are four finalists. I can assume that was the number the BOS stated would make it to the final round. IF that is true, then Sgt. Moran is taking up someone else’s spot. IF that is not true and the BOS said right along there would be three finalists PLUS Sgt. Moran, THEN I can see and agree with Mr. Rooney’s comments about her not taking a spot away from anyone.
5. I disagree that Sgt. Moran should have gotten a pass to the finals. A police department should be representative of its citizenry. She was appointed by a BOS of three. What would be so wrong by asking her to have another group of appointed citizens have the opportunity to meet with her and state their opinions on how she do as a full time chief. Being good at one position does not guarantee you will be good at another. I worked with many cops who were great road cops and turned into horrible supervisors. I also worked with some road cops that were awful out on the road and made great supervisors. The two skill sets are entirely different. I have also witnessed shortcuts taken in towns to appoint Chiefs of Police that have ended in horrendous circumstances. All I am saying is the job requirements will be the same for whoever becomes the fulltime Chief. The process therefore should be no different.
6. I agree that divisiveness never serves the greater good. But I do feel that if you don’t agree with what is going on, you should speak out. That is what the country is based on and NOT being another sheep going along with the herd. I am not going further on the soap box of where history shows that herd mentality leads us.
7. Finally I want to thank Mr. Rooney for his service, offer my sympathy to Sgt. Deignan on being ill treated and thank all the Southborough residents for weighing in their opinions on this. I am proud to be a citizen of a country where we can disagree or agree without fear of reprisal.

I am struck from what appears to be Mr. Rooney’s unselfish nature. While I do not know him at all, without obligation and apparently driven by a civic desire, he took the time to explain to the residents so very much that needed explanation. His concluding comment urging unity shows how deeply he cares about this matter and this town. He then took the time to respond to a distressed applicant and his response clearly eased the pain for that person. He could have simply sat back and done nothing and expressed displeasure with it all. His concern for the final goal of making sure the right person is hired for the job has dominated everything that I have read. For instance, he could have taken aim and leveled a response to Desiree’s non-issue comment, but his restraint shows character. Getting involved in a gutteral debate with her would do nothing for the town, and would not focus on the issue at hand. He must know, as we all do, that the educated residents of this town dismissed her comment as coming from someone overly intoxicated with the title of “Chair” and someone who’s only goal was to advance her own interests. Fortunately for us, and unfortuntately for her, her conduct has had the direct opposite effect. Her involvement in future town issues should be immediately closed off.

I am still left with a number of concerns that need to be addressed. I would like to know why the selectmen did not take immediate action once they found out about the committee’s objection to the expert? They should have stepped in immediately and directed the process, and not left it to an uncontrolled Chair with personal objectives. They are faulted for non-action and putting blinders on during the process. They need to acknowledge this mistake. I am still concerned that not a single selectmen has seen it appropriate to acknowledge the inappropriateness of Desiree’s conduct and comment. And, I am the most concerned that the expert was not involved in the reviewing of applications and the determination of who should and should not advance to the next round. This appears to be the most significant issue remaining, and it is an issue that explanation will not cure. Mistakes were made. We are human. Lets learn from them and look forward.

Best of luck to you and your family.

John

Thank you for your note. You bring up some very good points. We all view these things from differing life perspectives. I can completely understand and appreciate your position and take no issue with it at all. I would hope that you could also understand the position I take and, while you may not agree with it, at least understand it.

You see, I grew up in a house with a father who had been on the police force for 28 years and was supposedly next in line for position of Chief. While I am certainly biased, I believe from everyone’s account, he was more than qualified. The Mayor was the appointing authority and, you see, my dad and the Mayor just didn’t get along that well. My dad was a “Cop” and the Mayor was a “Politician.” Most Cops back then tended to see things differently than Politicians. Well, the Mayor appointed a different person for Chief and did not even give my dad an interview. I didn’t then, nor do I now, think that was “fair.” Well, unfortunately for the Mayor, he was a “one-termer” and not reelected, that Chief served a short term, and my dad ultimately became Chief. He became Chief not because he was “interim chief” for a period of time, but because he was afforded an opportunity, along with many others, to interview.

It is with this simple life perspective that I use the term “fair.” I am not saying, nor have I ever said, that by providing Chief Moran an opportunity for an interview, it takes away another candidate’s opportunity for an interview. Nor am I saying that by providing her an opportunity for an interview, does she get the job. Rather, my position was and has been from the start, that after the list of qualified candidates to be interviewed has been compiled, Chief Moran should be added to the list. You see, Applicant, from my perspective, her inclusion was not to the exclusion of any other qualified candidate; in other words, all of the qualified applicants should have been interviewed ALONG with Chief Moran. So she is not taking any opportunity away from anyone by giving her the opportunity to interview. In reading my prior note, I can see where you may have misunderstood, and I apologize for the lack of clarity.

My earlier hestitation for openess by not using a pseudonym was a concern about engaging in endless debate in this medium. That I will not do. Nevertheless, I thought it important to disclose facts and issues from my small microcosm of life simply to address what I perceived as misinterpretation in many comments.

Again, Applicant, I can appreciate and understand everything you say. I hope that my further elucidation gives you a better understanding and appreciation of my thoughts on this issue.

With that said, if you’d like to discuss this in person, you know where to find me. I wish you the best of luck and amas sorry as you are that things evolved as they did in Southborough.

I resigned for the single reason that I had a fundamental disagreement with the committee’s refusal to take advantage of the expert services of Chief Unsworth. I feel the committee should have allowed Chief Unsworth an active role in the interview process. Since he had done this many times before and was a former Chief, and further, since this was all virgin territory for every committee member, his exclusion made no sense to me. His participation would have resulted in the committee being able to present to the Selectmen the strongest candidates for consideration. Since I wanted him involved and everyone else on the committee did not, in my mind the interview process was tortured and flawed and therefore I resigned.

My resignation had absolutely nothing to do with my feelings of who would be or would not be a finalist. Any expression or intimation to the contrary is without foundation. People think I resigned because I did not agree with the Selectmen’s position concerning Chief Moran. Such a statement or opinion could not be further from reality.

While I have never had the pleasure or opportunity to meet Chief Moran, given her dedication to the town and leadership after the passing of Chief Weber, I have always been of the opinion, independent of any expressions by the Selectmen, that fairness dictates she should be interviewed by the Selectment for the position. It is not only fair, it is the right thing to do. Those who object to such a position are not objecting to the qualifications or ability of Chief Moran, but, rather, are focusing their wrath on the Selectmen. This serves to undermine the important objective of hiring the next Chief, and your objections to the acts of the Selectmen are better reserved for another day and another issue.

While we may not all be in agreement about the selection process, at the end of the day, the Town needs to come together and support whomever is fortunate to be our next Chief. To do anything less would be a tragic disservice to our town and our loved ones.

1. You need to find committed individuals who are willing to put up with the buffoonery that is pervasive in small town politics. This is no small task. Over the course of my life I have seen some very intelligent, committed, pragmatic people get worn down by the relentless ratings of the ignorant. I say that not to be insulting, but it stands to reason that many times, the ones who stay in the game the longest in these situations are the ones who can not see any other point but their own. The intelligent seem to realize when things have become a stalemate and pack it in for sanity sake.
2. I would think the only way to combat the onslaught of those few is obviously with the many. This too is difficult because as I have also experienced, people want to live their life in peace and are content to let things roll along, feeling that in time things will even out. They usually only get involved after something outrageous occurs and by then of course it is too late.

A proactive stance (to many) is akin to a doomsday mentality. The masses can not see, and or are not willing to see that bad things do happen and if you do not address them (in this case be very active in your research of public officials, and stay current on their track records, openly expressing your wishes and when you feel marginalized, vote them out of office) then you are left to the fancy of which way the wind is blowing.

I would love to sit down with folks such as you, Mr. Rooney and other fair minded individuals and discuss how to get the truth out in this and other town matters so that it is heard by all, and somehow makes sure their wishes get heard and become the voices of true action, and not merely philosophical debate.

I do not know Ms. Moran either, but when she gets the job, her task will have been made so much more difficult because of the way this was handled. An apology will not rectify anything. The committee’s constant executive sessions, the chair’s ridiculous comments, the committee’s failure to use the expert, the way applicants were treated as refelected in their postings, Mr. Rooney’s resignation, as well as so much more, are all matters of utmost concern and require public disclosure.

One final note. I know Mr. Rooney from having served with him on a Little League Board. I do not know him well, but it was immediately apparent after spending time together that his intellect, integrity and pragmatic outlook dominated his thoughts and positions. If people were paying attention, his withdrawal from the committee should have caused some action by the selectmen. The residents were only left with a comment that it was a nonissue. This type of comment shows a lack of professionalism and maturity, and tells me that people were asleep at the switch. The train has left the station, and no one is at the controls.