Meetings Ahead
Meetings are held remotely. Go to provincetown-ma.gov and click on the meeting you want to watch.
Thursday, July 23
- Visitor Services Board, 10 a.m.
- Public Pier Corp., 3 p.m.
- Planning Board, 6 p.m.
Monday, July 27
- Visitor Services Board, 6 p.m.
Conversation Starters
Covid 19 Update
As of July 20, 2020, Provincetown had one confirmed active case of coronavirus, one death, and 28 additional cases considered recovered.
Colton or Sumner to Be Interim Manager
Two finalists have been selected to vie for the job of interim town manager following the resignation of Robin Craver on July 10.
Craver lasted six months as town manager and resigned following a closed meeting with the select board. The reasons for her resignation may never be made public, since the matter was discussed in executive session. The Independent will make a formal public records request for the minutes of the session under the state’s Open Meeting Law.
On Monday former Easton Town Administrator David Colton, who now lives in Provincetown, and Charles Sumner, a Brewster resident and former administrator of that town for 29 years, were selected to be interviewed for the interim position, which should last six months or perhaps longer, depending on how quickly a new town manager search is launched.
Lise King, the select board member in charge of finding candidates, said she got seven recommendations and that Colton and Sumner rose to the top because they could begin soon and potentially stay for an extended time period. Other qualifications for the temporary post are experience in town management and familiarity with Provincetown, King said.
“They are highly recommended and both really great candidates,” she said.
Sumner was “called ‘beloved’ by some townspeople in Brewster,” King said.
Colton was administrator of Easton from 2006 to 2018, according to his resume. But the Easton Journal reported that he left the job in 2017 after the select board fired the town clerk. Colton’s failure to supervise the clerk, Jeremy Gillis, properly was the reason he was let go, according to the Journal. The newspaper reported that Easton paid $600,000 in salary and benefits to terminate Colton’s contract early.
In fact, said Colton, the actual cash payout was $345,000, based on a year and a half of his salary, plus $75,000 in cash. The rest represented other benefits.
The episode began when the select board changed and wanted change, he said.
“They made some really big mistakes and violated my civil rights,” Colton said. “Their insurance company recommended this settlement,” he said, adding, “It was not a good time in my life.”
He technically was under contract until 2018, and that’s why he described his tenure in Easton as such on his resume.
King said she did not know about these events in Easton.
The meeting to interview the finalists, which will be public, is tentatively set for Wednesday, July 29, at 6:30 p.m., King said.
Statements Limited to 3 Minutes
The select board members voted Monday to put a three-minute cap on their own public statements. The vote was 3-2, with Lise King and David Abramson opposed.
They did not, however, put a cap on other public statements, which was also on the table. The vote on reducing the time slot for such statements from a one hour to 30 minutes was zero in favor and 5 opposed. —K.C. Myers