Clarksburg Select Board Chair Resigns to Apply for Treasurer's PostBy Tammy Daniels, iBerkshires Staff
12:50PM / Monday, March 28, 2022 | |
 Select Board Chair Danielle Luchi resigned at the end of Monday's board meeting. This will allow her to apply in 30 days for the treasurer's post that the town has been unable to fill. |
CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The chair of the Select Board resigned Monday with the intent to apply for the treasurer/collector position that the town's been unable to fill.
Danielle Luchi, elected in 2019, has been the town's MVP over the past six months or so. She was the lone Select Board member for weeks after both her colleagues quit last fall and found herself increasingly stepping into vacant positions to keep the town operating, including working in the treasurer's office.
Luchi noted the office "has struggled to keep afloat over the past year" and thanked the assistant treasurer, town clerk and accountant — as well as part-time and former treasurers — in helping to keep things moving.
"We started declining in July and it was my duty to ensure that failure was not an option to Clarksburg," she said.
Her decision is seen by officials as an "out of the box" solution to fill a critical financial post that's seriously backlogged.
She teared up a bit reading her resignation letter at Monday's Select Board meeting but noted that the town is in dire need of a full-time, permanent treasurer.
"This position has been posted on two separate occasions with not one applicant, which is sadly disappointing and devastating to our town," she read. "Knowing how critical it is to have someone fill this position and the fact that there is a shortage of municipally trained workers, I called the Ethics Commission for guidance on pursuing this change of role. It is the recommendation that I remove myself from the Select Board for 30 days before applying for the position."
Luchi said she will continue to work in the office as she had been while a member of the Select Board until the position is reposted.
The town's been without a full-time treasurer and collector for months after changes in personnel in 2021 did not work out. An outside audit found numerous inconsistencies and errors and the town tried switching employee positions to resolve issues but both eventually quit; the year also saw the departure of the town clerk, administrative assistant, accountant, town administrator and two Select Board members. Town officials thought they had solved the treasurer problem last month but the applicant hired withdrew.
Town Administrator Carl McKinney, hired at the end of the year, said there had been no applications for the treasurer post as of Monday morning. The job's been posted on local sites including BerkshireJobs.com, and statewide websites including the Massachusetts Collectors & Treasurers Association, and the town increased the salary as an incentive.
"There are 35 communities in the commonwealth that were looking for a treasurer/collector and understanding that there's 351 towns and cities in the commonwealth, on that one website that means a full 10 percent of the commonwealth is without adequate staffing levels," he said.
The town's been in touch with the state Department of Revenue and Division of Local Services, which suggested hiring temp agencies that declined because of distance and pay; McKinney wrote to the governors office (and the Berkshire delegation) on the problems of finding staffing and suggested developing training centers or instituting state circuit riders who jump in to help towns. He's reached out to McCann Technical School, which might be able to develop a certification program with Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts or Berkshire Community College.
But none of those options will solve the town's immediate crisis, he said.
"So with everything being said and done, that kind of forced us to think outside the box and to fill this position and get us back on track," said Select Board member Jeffrey Levanos, returned to the board in a special election in December.
"I think she'll make a terrific treasurer/collector ... It's going to be extremely difficult in the next 30 days without her at the helm. ... Hopefully, we'll get back on track again and start moving forward."
Levanos will be the lone board member until the town election on May 31; the town already has procedures in place from when Luchi was alone last fall.
"I've been here since July and Danielle has done nothing but her best to keep the town afloat," said Town Clerk Marilyn Gomeau. "The residents of Clarksburg should be grateful for that ... we have all pitched in together so we don't drown, so the town just doesn't close up. ... I think this is a wise decision on the Select Board's part."
Levanos and McKinney also spoke to Luchi's willingness to serve the town.
"I have never seen anyone put in more time and get into the trenches and do the jobs that are not being done as Danielle," said McKinney.
Luchi said she has taken out nomination papers to run for a second three-year term and officials urged other citizens to step and run for office. Papers are due on April 12 but Gomeau said only a handful of people have taken out papers, and only Luchi so far for Select Board, which is now down by two.
"The next generation needs to step up and educate themselves on municipal administration," said McKinney, a former board member. "There are a lot of moving parts in a town government ... you need to be in a seat and observe and ask questions and participate."
The goal is to serve the people of Clarksburg, he said, and that "good humor about impossible situations is a big plus."
In other business:
• Edward Denault was appointed to the Historical Commission and the board approved the commission using the town clerk's former space on the second floor for storage and display.
• The board appointed Greg Betti as principal assessor for up to five hours a week. Betti is also on the North Adams Board of Assessors.
• McKinney reported that Guardian has been envelope sealing Town Hall to reduce heat loss and that LED lighting has been installed throughout the elementary school. These actions were paid for through the town's Green Communities grant; McKinney said once that grant was expended the town would reapply.
• The town's IT manager Jason Morin encouraged the board to consider cybersecurity and a response plan, policies to cover the usage of town-owned devices and programs, and a third-party auditor to make recommendations.
"I can make some recommendations but this is something you need to decide," he said. "I'm going to do my best but its a scary world out there ... it's making me nervous."
• Town meeting will decide two questions related to zoning and bylaws. The first would align zones to property lines so no properties would be in different zones. This was done some time ago through a grant but had not yet gone through approvals. The second is an update of the town's general code. This has been worked on by the past two town clerks, said Town Marilyn Gomeau, who gave the draft a final edit. The changes are minor updates in language, grammar and spelling, and revisions such as changing Selectmen to Select Board and dog officer to animal control officer.
Once approved by town meeting and the attorney general, the code will be available on the town website.
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