Jean Perry, Neighb News Correspondent As the Fairhaven Selectboard approached its June 1 executive session to discuss a potential lease agreement for the Rogers School addition with the Southeastern Mass­a­chusetts Educational Collaborative (SMEC), Vice-Chairperson Bob Espindola asked first to discuss the matter in open session and voice some of his concerns. Chairperson Daniel Freitas was absent…. [Read More]

By Jean Perry, Neighb News Correspondent The June 12 Annual Town Meeting is going remote after the Fairhaven Selectboard voted to accept Town Moderator Mark Sylvia’s recom­mendation on April 26. Selectboard member Keith Silvia claimed that “quite a few people” have called him to oppose another remote town meeting, calling instead to hold the event outside,… [Read More]

Jean Perry, Neighb News Correspondent During the Selectboard’s 3/22/21 meeting, Interim Town Administrtor Wendy Graves told the board to hold off on closing and signing the Annual Town Meeting Warrant after the meeting was postponed to June 12. This has also led to a revision to the FY22 budget and Town Meeting calendar, making the new… [Read More]

Jean Perry, Neighb News Correspondent Fairhaven Selectboard Chairper­son Daniel Freitas was expected to arrive late to the meeting on March 22 but never did make it after nearly two hours when Vice-Chairperson Bob Espindola and board member Keith Silvia ran out of agenda items that did not need to be tabled in Mr. Freitas’s absence. As… [Read More]

Jean Perry, Neighb News Correspondent The status of the town adminis­trator hiring process is uncertain at this point after the disclosure that Fairhaven Selectboard member Keith Silvia has participated in the TA hiring process in apparent violation of the State Ethics Code. During the Selectboard meeting on 3/11, ahead of the interview of a fourth candidate,… [Read More]

Jean Perry, Neighb News Correspondent Twenty-three days after interview­ing the three finalists forwarded by the Town Administrator Screening Com­mittee (SC), a two-member Fairhaven Selectboard inter­viewed Interim Town Administrator and Finance Director/Treasurer/Collector Wendy Graves on 3/11. Board member Keith Silvia had to recuse himself due to a conflict of interest because his wife is the Council on… [Read More]

By Beth David, Editor After a meeting that lasted more than three hours on 2/16/21, the Fairhaven Selectboard voted 2–1 not to choose any of the three candidates they had just inter­viewed for Town Adminis­trator. Instead, at the urging of board member Keith Silvia, the board decided to hold another meeting on Tuesday, 2/23, to interview… [Read More]

Jean Perry, Neighb News Correspondent The Oxford School housing project developer wants to make a “sub­stantial” change to the design of the proposed new construction, Building Commissioner Chris Carmichael told the Fairhaven Selectboard on 1/25. But before that proposed change is even considered, the Selectboard wants an explanation first. Within just weeks ahead of break­ing ground,… [Read More]

By Jean Perry, Neighb News Correspondent An employee engagement and work culture study has determined no “morale problem” at Town Hall among employees, although it did find some negativity. The Fairhaven Selectboard on 12/7 reviewed the study results with Mary Beth Bernard, the consultant who assessed the workplace climate at Town Hall over the summer. That… [Read More]

By Jean Perry, Neighb News Correspondent After realizing that not one woman had been appointed to the town administrator search screening com­mit­tee, the Fairhaven Selectboard on 11/19 appointed a female Town Hall employee as the seventh and final member. Selectboard member Bob Espin­dola said he had received feedback earlier in the day that the committee had… [Read More]