All meetings in Wellfleet are remote only and can be watched online. Go to wellfleet-ma.gov and click on the meeting you want to watch, then follow the instructions on the agenda.
Thursday, Oct. 7
- Cape Cod Commission hearing, 3 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 12
- Select Board, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 14
- Zoning Board of Appeals, 7 p.m.
Conversation Starters
Select Board Seeks Headhunter
At its Sept. 28 meeting, the Wellfleet Select Board debated whether to hire consultants to assist in the recruiting, vetting, and screening of candidates for the job of town administrator. Because the advice of Community Paradigm Associates, the most recent such consulting agency, led to the appointment of Maria Broadbent, who lasted only nine months in the job, it is not surprising that there was some debate.
Before leaving the meeting because she did not feel well, board member Helen Miranda Wilson opened the discussion by saying, “I don’t think it matters.”
John Wolf, the newest member of the select board, said he opposed hiring a headhunting firm because “we should be capable of advertising in the appropriate journals” to attract qualified candidates.
Mike DeVasto supported the idea for administrative reasons, and interim Town Administrator Charles Sumner clinched the argument in favor of approving the idea.
Town hall does not have a big enough staff to do all that is necessary in such a search, Sumner said. “I have been through this in Provincetown,” Sumner said. “In order to do this right, we need some help.” The discussion closed when Wolf said, “I stand corrected.” The vote in favor was 4-0.
Recovery Funds for Housing
The select board also voted 4-0 to dedicate the Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (CLFRF), totaling just over $285,000, to the Wellfleet Affordable Housing Trust to support housing efforts.
Because money from that fund can be used to address “negative economic impacts” in the public sector, according to published government guidelines, housing support is one possible use for the money.
Select board member Janet Reinhart raised this question: “Given the state of our books, can we do that?”
Interim Town Administrator Sumner responded by noting that the amount is too small to have much impact on the budget. On July 1, 2021, the town received $142,558.58 in CLFRF funds, and the same amount will arrive again on July 1, 2022, board chair Ryan Curley explained. Given a town budget of about $23 million, Sumner said, he would support using the entire amount for affordable housing support. —Tom Recchio
