Apparently NO tax dollars to be used for Azalea Park does not mean much to Select-board member Osgood…even after the town voted NO to a warrant article seeking to establish a budget line item for the Azalea park project.
Last night at the select-board meeting in Public Comment #2 @ 55:40 of the meeting’s broadcast, a homeowner directly asked if general fund money was being used to pay Azalea Park bills….
Sitting silently and not responding was select-board member Osgood who is the select-board’s representative to the Azalea Park Committee. Earlier in the meeting @ 45:30 mark, Vice Chair Hooper mentions to Mr. Osgood that it appears that money is being fronted with the Town Administrator (TA) not having any reports from the Azalea Park committee.
Mr. Osgood makes an insolent and degrading remark about instability of the TA’s position as the reason why the committee failed to send report…despite the fact that we have had able coverage from the Town Finance Director Russ Roy-an employee of more than 25 years-filling as an interim TA, who @ 45:53 mark admits to not having the information.
Then @ 46:55 mark, Vice Chair Hooper once again reaffirmed that at the 2019 Town Meeting voters voted NO to using general operating funds for this project. Mr. Osgood then incorrectly states that the funds were not asked for.
He even lies to his fellow select-board members by stating that the committee did not even have it on the agenda. The committee put forth a petition warrant article at the Meeting; Warrant Article #27 (page 27).
Then @ the 47:10 mark, when confronted by a resident about changing the $10,000 warrant to $1…which failed, Mr. Osgood finally comes clean and tells the truth and takes back his erroneous statement.
Mr. Osgood has no intention of abiding by the will of the people, as Mr. Marko points out in the Public Comment#2 portion of the meeting.
Three things need to happen immediately:
- The Select-Board needs to determine who authorized the use of the general fund money to pay for for Azalea Park expenses?
- How were those expenditures reported on the accounting ledger?
- Considering Mr. Osgood’s blatant attempt to hide and misrepresent the facts about Azalea Park expenditures (which he takes back @ the 46:15 mark) the Select-Board should request he resign.
OHB…keeping it real… making it easier for you to find the facts so you can draw your own conclusions…..
“There are things public officials would never do if they thought somebody might call them out on it.”
Thank you for this succinct and accurate description. I also watched the video and was appalled by Mr. Osgood’s ranting and scolding of a citizen who raised very legitimate concerns about the handling of public money. The blatant attempt to stifle Mr. Marko represents the very worst of incivility and should not be tolerated behavior of any elected official.
As a taxpayer who supported, and continues to support the concept of rehabbing Azalea Park both philosophically and financially,I am very discouraged to hear a Committee member publicly state the expected cost to reach $750,000.
I never heard that number spoken at an Annual Meeting.
I heard it “ on the street” but I was assured it was “nonsense”.
Fool me once…………