http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20150926/THISJUSTIN/709269974
Springfield to hold goal-setting session
By Susan Smallheer
Staff Writer | September 26,2015
SPRINGFIELD — In about a month, the Springfield Select Board will try something new.
The board agreed last week to hold a “strategic planning session” to discuss among themselves what the important issues are facing the town.
Town Manager Tom Yennerell had suggested the planning session, to be held with a facilitator, to get the town leaders discussing long-term and short-term issues in a more relaxed session.
Yennerell has made reservations for the board to meet Oct. 21 at the Hartness House Inn, starting at 5:30 p.m.
Yennerell said he hoped the session would help the board develop both short-term and long-term goals, long-term meaning “greater than two years.”
“A facilitator would help, and we’ll see what we come up with,” said Yennerell.
Yennerell has hired Nancy Mosher, who regularly works for the Vermont Agency of Commerce, to help facilitate the meeting. According to Mosher’s website, Nancy Mosher Leadership Consulting and Coaching of Barre, her clients include Middlebury College, Brattleboro Housing Authority, the Vermont Land Trust and the Vermont Historical Society, among other groups.
The Select Board had discussed the concept of the strategic planning session and had voted unanimously in favor of the idea, giving Yennerell the go-ahead to start planning it.
Yennerell said he was compiling his own list of goals, and he expected the individual board members would have their own short lists as well.
Chairman Kristi Morris said that individual board members have always had goals, and he said the board collectively could have some “targeted goals.”
With board member Walter Martone absent, the motion to pursue the idea was unanimously accepted, with the others laughing at Select Board member Peter MacGillivray’s suggestion that the session be held in Las Vegas.
Select Board member George McNaughton said that the Springfield School Board had done it twice when he was on that board. “The second time it was beneficial,” McNaughton said, noting the meeting was moderated by the superintendent of schools.
McNaughton said he wanted the town board to avoid any “kumbaya crap” and he said having a facilitator would help avoid that.
“Maybe we could use some group therapy,” McNaughton said, “but it’s not intended as a group therapy session.”
Another goal session to form more committees that will rehash what all the other committees have talked about.
ReplyDeleteIf Springfield doesn't know the goals that have been gone over and over for the last decade, than I don't think there is any hope of getting anything done now.
How about going to the latest Town Report and looking that over. There must be @8-10 organizations that have given their report about what needs to be done and what has been done.
IMO this is just another stall tactic by a do nothing Town Government.
Well jeez, I hope the bill for this hired facilitator doesn't show up on my tax bill next year. I suspect there will be local volunteers willing to help the select board shape up without charge.
ReplyDeleteThe article has an error in it. I did not say that a facial tor would help avoid the kumbaya crap, I expressed concern that some facilitators engaged in a bunch of kumbaya crap and the second Schoolboard retreat went better because they did not use a facilitator, but rather the Supt. This could be a very helpful activity, or it could be a complete waste of time. Hopefully, it will not be the latter.
ReplyDeleteAimless is as aimless does!
ReplyDelete