Sherborn Town Administrator Search Committee Member Miller Steps Down

Judi Miller has resigned from Sherborn’s Town Administrator Search Committee citing mistreatment by the Selectmen during their .

“It’s hard to explain. I feel that there are unresolved issues that I became aware of after I joined the committee with regard to the Town Administrator role and I couldn’t in good conscience work with the direction it was moving given those issues,” Miller said.

Miller said one of the issues that concern her, “is over many years the town has had a succession of Town Administrators that didn’t work out.” She also believes, “the town has some systemic problems with regard to that position that aren’t being addressed.”    

Regarding Miller’s resignation Selectmen Paul DeRensis said, “It was only a one line resignation letter. She gave no reason.”

He said currently the Town Administrator Search Committee is conducting phone interviews with candidates. To his knowledge, Miller only attended one meeting and had not conducted any interviews.

Regarding the mistreatment of Miller and overall tumultuous atmosphere of recent Selectmen meetings DeRensis said that over his career as a Selectmen and seven times as chairman, “We always had unanimous votes. Tom is the new chairman. This is maybe his fifth meeting. There is a bit of a learning curve there for him. I think we should cut him some slack because he’s new at this.”

Regarding that sometimes-heated arguments occur at the meetings, he said, “They’re not, tumultuous,” he added that there is skill to running a meeting. 

“She was not mistreated, she simply did not agree with our decision,” said Selectmen Chairman Tom Twining. He said if anyone were to review the tape of the July 28 meeting, “to get an accurate picture of her demeanor– even her own board members were trying to calm her down.”

To the issue of arguing among board members and upset attendants of other meetings he said, “As to the recent ‘tumultuous’ meetings I can only say that after months of talking about making changes to the town’s structure and operations– which the town supported by way of a Town Meeting vote, to bring in the State Department of Revenue among other things– that some of the people directly affected by these changes are unhappy about them now that they are beginning to happen. As a result these people, and their supporters, are voicing their opposition– which, unfortunately, has a tendency to be expressed quite vocally and personally.”

Twining resolute in his philosophy of change said, “The majority of the Board of Selectmen has a constructive agenda for necessary change which focuses on reduction of the town’s legal liability and reduction of overall costs by bringing our operations into compliance with both common sense and State Law.”