Signs pressure Selectmen to hire Stanley

Apr 8, 2011

If you were driving through town Friday you may have noticed signs suggesting a recall of Board of Selectmen members if part-time interim Police Chief Richard Stanley is not named to the full-time permanent position.

It is not immediately clear who is responsible for planting the signs pressuring Selectmen to hire Stanley. Appearing overnight, one was noticeably placed in front of the Wareham Police station this morning. That sign has since been removed.

Although some have speculated political action group Move Wareham Forward is responsible for the signs, on Friday the group's president, David Begley, said he didn't know the source of the signs.

A recall is enacted to unseat an elected official between elections. A petition to recall would need to be signed by 25 voters, who would then need to obtain signatures from ten percent of all voters for a recall election to be held.

Stanley was presented as Town Administrator Mark Andrews' top candidate for the permanent position more than a year ago. But negotiations over the terms of bringing him to Wareham from North Andover, where he is currently serving as full-time chief, have dragged on - apparently over the issue of money.

On Tuesday, Selectman Brenda Eckstrom, in her last night serving on the board, indicated that the town had struck a deal with Stanley - but that it could not gain approval from a majority on the outgoing board.

Fellow Selectman Steve Holmes immediately expressed confusion about her claim, saying that he had not seen any agreement.

The signs would seem to indicate that someone thinks the matter is now firmly in the hands of Selectmen.