NPSW Board Fired

by E.C. Shanor
     
     PARIS – The selectmen of Norway and Paris met jointly February 25, to assert their authority over the Norway Paris Solid Waste (NPSW) Corporation, but the waste board has not yet submitted, and may snap back.
     
     The selectmen of the two towns fired the board of the joint management committee.
     
     There is no word from the discharged board members on what, if any, action they will take. However, they have the option of appealing the joint decision to Oxford County Superior Court.
     
     According to the cooperative agreement that established it, the NPSW board is to be made up of members appointed by the selectmen of each town. The corporation was established at town meetings held by both communities as was what is referred to as a “quasi-governmental” body.
     
     In recent months, the board had refused to seat a Paris appointee, altered the corporation's bylaws and refused to allow the Paris town manager address a board meeting.
     
     Paris Selectman Ray Glover read three motions, each seconded and voted positively upon by Lloyd “Skip” Herrick, the only other Paris selectman present. Then the Norway selectmen also voted, unanimously, to approve the motion Paris had just passed.
     
     The motions, for the reasons cited above, removed the board of directors, effective immediately.
     
     Paris attorney Dana Hanley, the attorney hired by the NPSW board before they were dismissed, wrote a letter to both boards outlining the NPSW's perceived freedom to modify its bylaws and reject an appointee. He also questioned the authority of the Paris selectmen to take any action, with two of its seats unfilled and one member absent.
     
     The letter was given to the town managers minutes before the joint meeting, Holt said.
     
     If events proceed as planned, a new board will be appointed at a later date. The employees of the transfer station were not discharged. In place of the discharged members, the town managers will serve as the interim board, meeting bi-weekly. In the event of a disagreement between the two, the chairman of one board will act as the tie-breaker for 30 days. Then the other town's chairman will have the responsibility for the next 30 days. They will alternate until the new NPSW board is appointed. No date was set for the appointment of new board members.
     
     “I believe that the best course of action is for our communities to stop arguing about this and personalities for a couple of months and just focus on serving the citizens,” said the Norway town manager.
     
     Holt also noted that former NPSW board member Bruce Hanson had been very helpful in ensuring a smooth transition to town manager control.
     
     The first meeting of Holt and Tarr to conduct NPSW business is scheduled for 4 P.M. At the Norway Town Office. They plan to meet the first and second Wednesdays of each month from then on.
     
     By Tuesday, March 2, there had been nothing filed at the Oxford County Superior Court relating to NPSW, however,
     
     “I guess we'll let the court decide who the rogue is,” said Hanley. “There's an interesting overlap of statutes, here. I'm confident the court will see this differently when all the facts are out.”
     
     None of the former board members responded to requests from this reporter for comment by press time.
     
     An audience of roughly 50 citizens was present, but no comments or questions were asked of the selectmen.