This column originally appeared in The Sun Chronicle on Monday, April 22, 2013
AN INSIDE LOOK
By Bill Gouveia
The
marriage between Town Manager Kevin Paicos and the Foxboro Board of Selectmen
has always been a tenuous and difficult one.
It would seem they have stayed together for the sake of the kids, who in
this instance are the citizens and taxpayers of Foxboro.
Now
the time is fast approaching when selectmen must make the difficult decision of
whether or not to continue said relationship.
Under the terms of their agreement with Paicos, they must decide by the
end of this June whether or not to renew his contract beyond June 30,
2014. Their most recent review of the
town manager’s performance has folks wondering if the inevitable split will
happen sooner rather than later.
Selectmen
as a group graded Paicos a “3” on a scale of 1-5, translating into a rating of
“satisfactory”. That did not sit
particularly well with the veteran administrator, who said he was
“disappointed” with the result. He said
his board “continues to hold me to five different standards of what needs to be
done.” He also added “Frankly, I don’t
know what some of this means so I don’t know how to do things better.”
Kevin
Paicos is a strong and experienced municipal manager. There can be no disputing that statement. He has many strengths and a record of
accomplishment to prove them. Selectmen
rated him highly with regard to balancing the budget and reducing healthcare
costs, among other things.
But
they criticized Paicos for his ability to work with the board and allowing them
to do their job. Selectmen Mark Sullivan
said, “Sometimes you need to step back and let us debate it, instead of
becoming fuel on the fire.”
If
Paicos were to offer a public evaluation of the selectmen, it is probable he
would come up with some very valid criticisms that would support his own
performance. Given his oft-displayed
willingness to be frank and direct, it would also no doubt be an entertaining
and interesting process.
But
Paicos is the employee, and the selectmen are the employer. Despite what many may believe, a town manager
works for the Board of Selectmen. He or
she owes allegiance to the citizens and the community as a whole, but answers
directly to the selectmen. A good
manager knows that relationship is the key to their ability to do the job.
Paicos
sounds rather silly when he starts blaming selectmen for not appreciating his
work. Over the past couple of years a
strong case can be made that it has been Paicos who has not observed the proper
roles to be played in town government.
It is Paicos who has alienated some board members, community members,
and corporate partners of Foxboro.
His
feud with former selectman Larry Harrington was a political battle Paicos won. The town manager used a controversial issue
to help shape the board in such a way as to allow him to operate more freely
and with greater support. He did so
skillfully and deliberately.
But
now he is paying the price. Now his
board members are removed from the immediacy and overwhelming nature of the
casino issue and other related concerns with the Kraft Organization. Lacking a serious villain upon which to play
against, Paicos is left looking like the guy who wants everyone to know he is
the smartest person in the room (which he very well may be).
His
toughness is one of his best attributes, but may now be working against him. He has been around long enough to know
selectmen rarely if ever speak with just one voice. When he says he doesn’t know what some of the
criticisms of him mean, it is hard to imagine he can’t figure it out.
The
average run of a town manager across the Commonwealth is about five years. There is a reason for that. If you do a good job in this tough position,
it is often difficult to remain popular.
Paicos is obviously not concerned about padding his resume for his next
position. His record in all phases of
his job is pretty well established.
But
his time in Foxboro may well be coming to a close. Whether that is best for all involved is
something that remains to be seen.
Bill Gouveia is a local columnist and
can be emailed at aninsidelook@aol.com and followed on Twitter at
@Billinsidelook.
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