Plymouth Town Manager's Report For December 3

Plymouth MA

03 December, 2020

9:31 PM

Description

Press release from the Town of Plymouth: December 3, 2020 Dear Residents, "I would like to take a few moments to address my decision to monitor the emails sent from Selectman Cavacco's public email account. I want to make it very clear that the only emails I reviewed and acted on were those that were sent from her public email account to Town employees' public email accounts. I did not review any emails that were sent from residents to Selectman Cavacco's account, although I received copies of the responses from her public account. This decision was not made to disrespect the Select Board as a whole or Selectman Cavacco individually. This was simply a management decision to improve the working environment for the Town employees. I have always asked the Select Board members to send work order requests and/or inquiries through my office, as my role as Town Manager is to oversee day to day operations. When that does not occur, I receive numerous calls and visits from confused employees asking what they should do when a Selectman reaches out directly with a specific request. As the administrator in charge of managing Town employees, it is my responsibility to maintain a working environment for them with accountability and a clear chain of command. I monitored Selectman Cavacco's account because she is the one who was making most of the requests of the Town employees. By seeing her requests in real time, I was able to intervene directly with the employees and department heads to provide guidance, propose solutions, and help manage their tasks and ensure information was relayed to the full Board. I elected not to tell her about this practice as I had raised the breach in communication protocol to employees with her numerous times already, as well as spoken to her about our distinct roles under the Town Charter. Those conversations were typically unpleasant, met with resistance, and were followed by publicly expressed displeasure. I thought a more discreet approach would allow me to do my job without public embarrassment to myself, Selectman Cavacco, or the Board as a whole. I am sorry that this decision has created such controversy. I do appreciate the words of encouragement and support that I have received, although I am quite aware that there are others who do not agree with my decision. If you have any questions that remain unanswered, I invite you to call me directly at 508.747.1620 x10105 or send me an email at [email protected]." Sincerely, Melissa G. Arrighi Town Manager This press release was produced by the Town of Plymouth. The views expressed here are the author's own.