I’m not surprised, unfortunately, however I am very discouraged if not downright angry.

In today’s Newburyport Daily News, July 20, 2006, written by Stephanie Chelf, there is an article about how Doug Locy, the chair of the Newburyport Planning Office and City Councilor James Shanley of the Planning and Development Committee, both resigned from the interview process for Newburyport’s new Planning Director.

Both of these men have tremendous integrity and care deeply about the future of Newburyport, Massachusetts.

To quote from today’s Newburyport Daily News:

“NEWBURYPORT – Two city officials asked by Mayor John Moak to be part of the planning director interviews withdrew from the search committee, saying they did not support the way the mayor was handling the hiring.

City Councilor James Shanley and Planning Board Chairman Doug Locy decided not to participate in the interviews of eight semi-finalists because they felt the committee was being forced to follow the mayor’s office guidelines, interview candidates they had not chosen and ask predetermined questions.

‘I can’t do it,’ Shanley said. ‘I’m not going to mouth questions someone else has given me.’

Both Shanley and Locy withdrew from the process late Friday…

‘With all do respect, I still believe the structure of the interview and selection process that you’ve proposed compromises our ability to fully review each candidate’s experience and knowledge in city planning,’ Locy wrote in an e-mail to Moak….’In my career I’ve interviewed many engineers and managers for positions in my organization and I’ve had training in the interview process. I’ve never heard of a interview process, the type of which is being proposed here.’ “

As anyone who has followed the Newburyport Political Blog would know, I feel that who the new Planning Director is that Mayor John Moak appoints is crucial to the future of Newburyport, Massachusetts. That two outstanding men cannot accept the process in which the candidates are being selected is really, really bad news.

Thank goodness that the Newburyport City Council has to approve the appointment. And if Mayor John Moak does not appoint an acceptable candidate for Planning Director, I hope that the citizens of Newburyport will phone their City Councilors in droves and let them know just how strongly they feel.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport