To the Editor:

I read with great interest the letter regarding Mark Andrews, Wareham's town administrator, in the July 14 edition.

When Mr. Andrews was first hired by the Board of Selectmen approximately 18 months ago, he put in place an "open door policy." If you wanted to speak with him about town issues or concerns, all you had to do was call and make an appointment for a Thursday afternoon between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Several members of my neighborhood did just that.

In early March 2009, we went to the Town Hall and did a visual presentation about our road conditions. We had done this several years before and met with the then-town administrator during the 2004 time frame, but to no avail.

Surprise of all surprises, Mr. Andrews reviewed our documentation and literally walked our neighborhood roads with the maintenance director. They then brought this information before the Board of Selectmen.

Within weeks, we received a phone call from Mr. Andrews stating he would like to come and meet with the officers of our neighborhood association and explain the new plans for our roads. At 7 p.m., this man sat at my kitchen table and explained the plan to us. Mr. Andrews went one step further and requested we schedule a neighborhood meeting and said he would come with the Selectmen and maintenance director to explain their plan to the entire neighborhood.

The town, under Mr. Andrews' direction, soon had a contract in place to address our drainage issues and fully replace the roadway. The contractors began working on our roads during the third week of September 2010.

Whenever I have contacted Mr. Andrews either by e-mail or telephone, this man has always gotten back to me in a timely manner.

Why on Earth would anyone criticize Mr. Andrews for bringing in the new Chief of Police? Chief Richard Stanley, on a part-time basis, in a nine-month time frame, vastly improved the morale at the police station, initiated drug raids, served warrants throughout the town, improved the safety and efficiency of our officers (new police cars), and got the Police Department certified (Mr. Andrews attended the ceremony with Selectman Walter Cruz.) Mr. Andrews and Chief Stanley, with the help of others, coordinated the first National Night Out in Onset, which turned out to be a great success.

Our understanding of Wareham government is that Mr. Andrews cannot hire anyone without the Board of Selectmen's approval. Mr. Andrews didn't hire the new town attorney, the Board of Selectmen did.

As far as our neighborhood is concerned, under Mr. Andrews' direction, Wareham has moved forward not in "baby steps," but in leaps and bounds. Given the opportunity, we believe Mr. Andrews will continue to move this town forward through the Wareham Jobs Bill and improving our local commercial tax base, and will improve the town's reputation.

We have found Mr. Andrews to be an effective and dedicated town administrator. He's a keeper in our eyes!

Sincerely,

Yvonne Kinsman
Gery Cwiekowski
Joe Olivieri
Wareham Lake Shores