Frizzell-less forum makes point nonetheless

Bettie Harris-Howard addresses the crowd last night at Candidates Forum at Lebanon Elementary School. Right, about 50 residents showed up for the forum. (Harrison Thorp photos)

LEBANON - It could not have been more ironic.

One of the major themes for the candidates for town selectmen who attended Wednesday’s Candidates Night at the Lebanon Elementary School was the need to make Lebanon government more transparent, more open, more responsive.

The selectman who now holds the seat to which they aspire and with whom they sought an open and transparent discussion on what’s wrong with the town and its leadership, however, responded by not showing up.

Selectmen Chairman Robert Frizzell bluntly told The Lebanon Voice today he was unable to attend. First he said simply, “something came up.”

Pressed on the reason, he said, “A family matter.”

Asked why he didn’t notify The Lebanon Voice, sponsor of the event, by email or phone, he said, “You never sent me an agenda.”

For the record, it should be noted that The Lebanon Voice sent no candidates an “agenda” for Candidates Night, though The Lebanon Voice did explain to Frizzell that it would be candidates speaking only, that there would be no audience participation and it would consist of three rounds.

Though Frizzell’s absence may have frustrated candidates and audience members, it did nothing to quell the enthusiasm of the evening, which consisted of candidates making an opening statement, then a second round in which the four focused on a specific town concern and finally a closing statement.

Candidate Robie Marsters may have created the greatest stir of the evening when in his closing statement he called for the adoption of a Recall Ordinance that would allow for citizen removal of a municipal official.

The town currently has no such ordinance, said Marsters, who brought a copy of an ordinance that he had drafted, himself.

Marsters also said there had to be an end to the “backroom politics” that has been used too long for officials’ personal agenda.

Bettie Harris-Howard, who is also on the town’s Budget Committee, told audience members she had a problem with selectmen not being there, sometimes being absent from meetings for months at a time.

She also stressed she would be open and up-front with all town bids and said she had the backbone to make the hard decisions.

 “If we don’t make the hard decisions we won’t go anywhere,” she said.

Ben Thompson said a big problem in town is apathy, people not wanting to get involved in the town’s running.

“If more residents like yourselves who are here would get involved, at a minimum just get interested in how and why your money is spent, a lot of these other issues would be corrected because you are the police of the selectmen,” Thompson said.

Meanwhile, candidate Corinna Cole said when selectmen are asked a question they should do their best to answer it, but they don’t always do that.

“I also have issues with an attorney that tells selectmen they don’t have to answer people that ask question,” said Cole, referring to town attorney Alan Shepard at Town Hearings. “I’ve asked several questions during town hearing just to be stonewalled.”

Afterward, many in the crowd applauded the opportunity to meet the candidates up close and personal and hoped it would become a staple of the town’s political process.

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