Flawed, failed leadership is Gerrish's legacy

Karen Gerrish’s signature legislation during her tenure as selectperson was a failed and flawed initiative to have money extracted from Lebanon residents’ Metrocast video bill go to pay for videotaping government meetings.

The voters rejected her proposal overwhelmingly last year.

Why? Because it was unfair. It would have forced about 60 percent of the town’s taxpayers to pay the freight, while non-Metrocast users would pay nothing.

All this was done after resident Corinna Cole’s admirable efforts to put forth a citizen’s petition to get a videotaping plan going that was much cheaper ($400) and more equitably funded on last year’s June ballot. Her citizens petition was overwhelmingly approved, 681-340.

Selectman Ben Thompson said he’d consider just giving her the $400 as urged by voters, but Gerrish said it was wrongly worded. Still, you think anyone would have cared? The $400 amounted to about 6 cents per resident.

Now, unless Chip Harlow brings his camera, we still have no regular taping of government meetings, something townspeople desperately want and has been roundly ignored. We’re not even sure if that is legal.

Meanwhile, Gerrish’s pet Metrocast project was trounced by voters last November, 595-106. Some consensus builder.

During her first year as selectperson the former board was given to putting up short notices on meetings. They got caught bigtime in May 2012 when The Lebanon Voice and another resident showed up for a 4:30 afternoon “workshop” on a Referendum question. When we showed up selectmen had already conducted the meeting.

The Maine Attorney General’s office sent a letter expressing disappointment with the short notice of the meeting and that the meeting began before the posted time.

Where was Karen Gerrish? She was part of the problem. Did she chastise her colleagues. Did she show any disgust or annoyance? No. she went along to get along. If you can’t bring about change, then get out of the way and let someone else who can do it.

When the Rescue Probe went down she neglected to aid in administering in the prosecution of the investigation. Whether she got fooled by the town’s former attorney into recusing herself or – again – was just being a pawn, it doesn’t matter.

When the former selectman who was a political ally with the former assistant rescue chief conducted the probe and made the decision that the Rescue Department was guilty of no misdoings, we asked Gerrish why she wasn’t part of the probe. In an email she sent – and we still have it – she writes, “I can't imagine that I wouldn't have a voice in the outcome/judgment. If not, what would be the point?”

The point, Ms. Gerrish, is that you’re a follower, not a leader. You were either conned or in cahoots. Either one is bad.

Anything that has gone right this last year has been more the result of Thompson than Ms. Gerrish, who fell very easily back into the follower’s role once again. At least this time she was following a good selectman.

Now, this is not a personal attack. It is, however, an attack on her record in office. I’m sure Ms. Gerrish is a very loving, kind mother and daughter.

But when you’re in office, you’re supposed to run on your record. These are facts that show she is by no means a good match for Augusta.

- Harrison Thorp,

Lebanon

candidate for House 20 District