New leadership hopes to calm waters at Milton BOS

From left, Selectmen Ryan Thibeault and Andrew Rawson react as Mike Beaullieu seconds a motion making Rawson the new chair. (Courtesy Youtube)

COPYRIGHT2017© MILTON - The Board of Selectmen's new chairman said today he hoped recent controversy roiling the town's major governing body could be put to rest now that he has been installed as its new leader.

The board's dysfunction in recent months came to a head a week ago as the board's newest selectman, Ryan Thibeault, pointedly accused former board chair Mike Beaulieu of ignoring Right to Know protocols to the point that Town Attorney Jim Sessler had tendered his resignation, saying he couldn't protect the town anymore.

"I got a letter from town attorney saying he is resigning over concerns that if the Board of Selectmen keeps going the way it is, he can't protect it," Thibeault said after counting off a list of alleged Right to Know violations he said were committed by Beaulieu in recent weeks.

Thibeault said Beaulieu had ignored the town attorney's advice on several RTK issues and at least two times when confronted with the accusation said he didn't care if he was violating RTK law.

Thibeault ended his rebuke of Beaulieu's comments by asking for a motion to remove Beaulieu from the chairmanship and make Rawson the new chair, however Rawson instead encouraged his longtime friend Beaulieu to give his side of the story.

"The 'I don't cares' were words of anger," Beaulieu said. "It's no secret that there's been a lot of tension between myself and Ryan. I've had plenty of time to think about this, it needs to go away, we need to reunite the board, move the town forward."

Rawson then agreed the board had to move in a new direction, but lobbied that the board should give Beaulieu, who has only been selectboard chair for three months, some more time.

"Let's see what happens, let Mike stay on as chair," he added, evoking what seemed a spontaneous decision by the then-chair.

"Actually I don't like this position, it's more work than I thought," Beaulieu said. "I have too much going on. I think I can function better over there (as a selectman only) and I would second that motion to have Andy be the chair."

At that point the three selectmen shook hands and Rawson took over the meeting.

Thibeault then added that Sessler had agreed to stay on if there was a change at chairman and if he and Rawson wanted him to stay as town counsel, which was immediately agreed to.

In the end, Rawson said today it was about moving the town in a new direction.

"I took an oath to help the taxpayers of Milton and uphold the ordinances," Rawson said today. "I look forward to moving the town forward, not that Mike hasn't done a great job. He has."