Planning candidates to be questioned in private

The five candidates for two open spots on the Springfield Planning Commission will be interviewed individually behind closed doors as part of the appointment process.

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Planning candidates to be questioned in private Rutland Herald | March 15, 2017 By SUSAN SMALLHEER STAFF WRITER SPRINGFIELD — The five candidates for two open spots on the Springfield Planning Commission will be interviewed individually behind closed doors as part of the appointment process. The Select Board voted Monday night to conduct the interviews privately in an effort to get the most candid responses from the candidates. The interviews are set for March 27. Selectman Walter Martone said he wanted to ask the five candidates one question that stemmed from a decision last December by the Planning Commission not to hear a presentation about the town’s streetscape project. Martone is one of two ex-officio members of the commission. Martone and other board members have until March 20 to submit questions they want to ask all five candidates. The questions will be sent to Town Manager Tom Yennerell, who will send them to the five candidates. Yennerell had suggested that the Select Board invite the candidates to the next meeting “and have a conversation with them.” “You’ll have a tough decision to make,” he said, adding it was a good sign there were five candidates for the two positions. Usually, the town has to recruit candidates to fill vacancies. Select Board Chairman Kristi Morris said the board had the right to conduct interviews behind closed doors, but any decision would be made in open session. New Selectman Michael Martin said he supported private interviews because they would lead to “candid responses.” The state’s Open Meeting Law allows interviewing of “town officers” in closed-door sessions. One current member of the Planning Commission, Walter Clark, asked why the five candidates had to answer any additional questions, noting they had all filled out the town’s questionnaire for people seeking a public office. “Why are you bringing up a subject from the past?” said Clark, who regularly attends Select Board meetings. The board had two vacancies to fill after the longtime chairman, Wilbur Horton, did not seek reappointment at town meeting and member Tom Hall resigned. In addition to Clark, other members of the commission are Chuck Gregory, Judith Stern, Lori Claffee, Richard Filion, Amanda Rundle and Michael Knoras. The two planners who attended the Select Board meeting said afterward they both liked the idea of private interviews. Candidate Randy Gray said he learned during last fall’s Windsor County state Senate race that candidates in a group tend to agree with each other and repeat each other’s statements. Individual, oneon one interviews are better, he said, and the Select Board will get a clearer idea of the candidates’ views. Another candidate, Walter Wallace, said he also liked the idea of a private interview. The other candidates are Char Osterlund, Stacy Stillson and Nathan Wardwell.