I am writing to address concerns about Harvard’s code of conduct and how complaints regarding violations are resolved.
I fully support Harvard’s code of conduct as a guide for how town volunteers should behave. I stand behind its ideal that “all Town elected and appointed officials are expected to act honestly, conscientiously, reasonably and in good faith at all times having regard to their responsibilities, the interests of the Town and the welfare of its residents.” I believe as well, that it’s important to “conduct [one’s]self so as to maintain public confidence in our local government” and throughout my years as a volunteer, I have striven to conduct myself in a manner befitting public trust and confidence. This has not changed. I remain committed to working toward a municipal government that is fair, efficient, and worthy of the public trust in all matters.
In continuing to find ways to make the code of conduct process better and more transparent, Town Counsel Mark Lanza advised that the code of conduct be revised to clearly determine how violations are handled. As it stands now, the code only indicates what may be done, it does not definitively prescribe what must be done.
I couldn’t agree with Attorney Lanza more. Should the chair be able to resolve issues or does every violation rise to the level of review by the Select Board? Should a first offense be handled any different from repeat offenses? If apologies have been made and accepted and the offender recommits to following the code of conduct moving forward, is that sufficient? A policy can never capture all the nuances of human behavior and restitution, but ours is too vague.
At the Select Board’s planning retreat in June, I will suggest that a full review of the code of conduct, the Select Board policies and procedures, as well as the required review of the Harvard Town Charter be included as goals for the coming year. Having a new town administrator and new members on the board provides a perfect time to examine and standardize operational procedures for committees and boards, norms around communications, and policies for social media usage. There’s so much to be done, and it’s time to roll up our sleeves and get to work.
As Robert Kennedy observed: “Democracy is messy, and it’s hard. It’s never easy.” Interests clash, values are sometimes at odds and “what’s best for the town?” has vastly different answers depending on your point of view. It seems that across our country people are wrestling with how to disagree without being disagreeable or lashing out. I would assert that our ability, desire, and willingness to reach out, find compromise, and work out our differences are still the values and practices to be upheld in our town government.
SusanMary Redinger
Ayer Road
Editor’s note: SusanMary Redinger is chair of the Select Board.
