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Heat. Heat.

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All right. Today we have Dave Nadoo here
with us to answer some questions about

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being the chairman of the select board
of the town of Aspie, which is

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impressive as hell because not that many
people want that job.

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Uh Dave did something and he doesn't he
doesn't know I'm going to talk about

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this and I'm going to do it anyway. But
while I was thinking about the

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questions,
some of the people that I rely on to

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help me with these questions, um one of
them surprised me and said that Dave, I

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got this thing up a bug up my butt about
the state gives a class on being a

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selectman. are people take that class
before they run.

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» And it turns out it's it's more
parliamentary parliamentary procedure

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type of a class
>> which you can read a book. You can see

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it online. But what you did which
I was amazed because I don't think

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anybody else has ever done this. You
attended committee meetings of all the

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major committees that we have going in
the town. So, you know what was going

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on?
>> I did.

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» Do Did you ever hear of anybody else
doing that?

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» I did not. It was uh suggested
uh by somebody that I was talking with

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before I actually really decided if I
wanted to be on the board. And they

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said, "Well, why don't you start
attending some of the other boards

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meetings?" I said, "That's a fantastic
idea." So I joined all of the meetings,

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board of health, conservation planning
board just to figure out where the town

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was going uh and learn because I didn't
know anything at that time.

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» And I have to say feedback that I got
from those people that were on those

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committees at that time, they were
impressed as all hell.

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» Really? They they thought this guy
really wants to do the job. And that to

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me that that just I think there should
be some kind of a law passed that every

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board member should do that
because then they come then they come

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with an awareness that is essential I
think to be part of running the town.

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Otherwise, you're sitting there for the
first month or two trying to figure out

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what what's going on.
>> Yeah.

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» You already knew what was going on cuz
you were there and you did it and you

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all right.
>> And I didn't I read actually several

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months of meeting minutes from
committees and boards.

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» See,
>> so I would be prepared for what was to

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come.
>> And it it I I guess it it showed.

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» Thank you.
>> It it is it is good.

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» I appreciate that. Okay. What made you
decide to become a Schle board member?

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» So, that's a funny story. Um, I was
approached by Lillian Whitney.

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» Oh, yeah.
>> Okay.

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» Um, she called me several times um and
grabbed my ear and said, "You know, the

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town needs you." I said, "Really?"
I said, "Needs me for what?" We want you

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to be on the select board. I said,
"Well, who is we?" And uh all the people

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in town.
So, I laughed. I said, "Well, I've never

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done that before. I'm not sure I could
possibly do that." Uh how much time was

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involved? And she offered to help. Um
and she was a sweetheart. She

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she really believed in me at that time.
>> Um and encouraged me.

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» Uh she would call me a couple times
every week. uh have you pulled papers?

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Are you going to do it? We have a
meeting at uh Scott Sweeny's house if

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you'd like to come meet him. He's on the
select board. Um and I said, "Okay."

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So, she really enticed me to do this. Um
so, like you mentioned before, I started

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listening to meetings and I started
attending select board meetings. I

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attended every select board meeting. uh
that I possibly could. I don't think I

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missed one
>> for several months prior to me uh

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pulling papers.
>> So it was interesting. Um so a lot of

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that credit goes to Lillian Whitney.
>> That that amazes me.

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» Everybody says that.
>> Yeah.

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» She believed in me.
>> Yeah.

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» You know.
>> Yeah.

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» And
>> Yeah.

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» Yeah.
>> That that's great. I mean I you know I

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that is
>> not many people know that. I've told

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some people, but yeah, not many people
know that.

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» Ah,
>> that's good.

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» Yeah,
>> that's good.

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» Um, beginning your position on the
select board

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» for a few years now. You've been in it
for a few years now.

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» Does the town operate the way you
thought it did? So, there's many

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different aspects of town government,
and you can't possibly know every aspect

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of it. Um, so when I first got on,
I actually thought the select board was

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in charge of every single thing
possible. Um,

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and
>> in an oversight type of way.

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» Yeah. And I started
>> You thought you're going to find out

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everything that happened didn't happen.
>> And I started to get overwhelmed.

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» Okay.
>> And was to a point, well, is this really

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what I'm supposed to be doing? Um, and I
did have a mentor uh who talked me

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through some of this. Uh, not from town.
She serves on a council uh in Lemonster.

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» Okay.
>> And she said, "Dave, don't worry about

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any of that stuff. Everything's going to
fall into place. Do not try to reinvent

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the wheel.
>> Um, just kind of go with the flow and

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learn." Um, and when I first got
elected,

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I Let me go back. Before I got elected,
I spoke to Mike McCuel, okay?

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» And he said, "You know, Dave, the first
year, just sit back and learn and

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listen. Don't make any big decisions.
Just sit back and learn." And I did

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that.
>> Um, so that helped.

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» Did you serve with um Mike?
>> I did.

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» You did. Okay.
>> I did. When I first started, it was me,

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Mike, and Scott.
>> Okay.

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» Uh I Janet Flingstrom uh did not run
again, so her seat was vacant,

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» right?
>> Um

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nobody ran against me,
but I did put out signs. I sat at

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Yep. My hall was the first time
>> and I stayed out there for however time

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the poll was open for. So, back to how I
think the talent should work or what

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should have worked.
I didn't really know at the time. It's

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I'm still learning.
>> It's a process. This is going on four

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years and I still don't know everything.
>> Okay.

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» But I surround myself with good people
and people that I trust.

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» Good. Good.
>> That that does Yeah, that sounds good.

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It sounds
logical.

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I mean,
>> yeah,

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» you definitely had targets, I guess you
would call them.

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» And I realized I can't do it all myself.
>> Yeah.

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» You know.
>> Yeah. Well, that's that's a lot of

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people in this town think they could.
>> Yeah.

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» And they don't want interference.
>> How many hours do you put in as the the

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chair of the select board?
>> H

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» on a week, weekly basis. uh between
phone calls, emails, and such, I'm sure

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I put in about 20 20 hours,
>> maybe 30 uh depending on the week. This

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week was a very busy week. We had uh we
had to get ready for town meeting uh

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warles.
>> The last two months, I would say, you

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had you had select board meetings almost
every week. It's supposed to be just

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once every two weeks.
>> It's tough, you know. Uh but you do what

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you have to do to keep everything
running.

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» The town doesn't stop.
>> Average 25 hours.

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» 2530 hours. Yeah,
>> that's fair.

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» That that Well, um, does the town
operate the way you thought it should

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from the hourly point of view? Did you
think you were going to put in more or

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less hours?
>> Less.

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» Less hours.
>> I did.

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» And so it surprised you. Do you think
that your other two

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partners on the table
put in as many hours?

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» Oh, I believe Mike McCallen put in a lot
more than that. Okay.

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» Yeah.
>> How about Doug and Jessica?

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» Oh, the current board members we have
now. Oh, that's a Oh, yeah. They put in

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just about the same, if not more,
probably.

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» Really?
>> Yeah.

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» Yep.
>> Doug is very involved. Um, he kind of I

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look at him as the day-to-day liaison.
Not now, but prior because we didn't

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have a town administrator,
>> right? So Doug would, you know, come to

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town hall probably every day in the
morning,

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» right?
>> Uh make his rounds and, you know, make

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sure that town ran during the day. U
Mike Bustle, who was the interim town

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administrator at that time would call me
if there was an issue. Uh but him did a

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really good job
>> um when we didn't have a TA and then

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bringing Jessica on board.
>> She's amazing.

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» Yeah.
>> Simply amazing.

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» Well, how how did
Not being fully staffed

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affect your job
at the point where you didn't know

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everything yet? It
>> was hard.

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» Where did you get your your
Who was your mentor through that whole

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thing?
>> Claire Freda.

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» And she's a
>> she's a city councelor city council

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woman from Lemonster.
>> Okay. All right. And she understood and

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» Oh, yeah. She's been on the council for
a very long time.

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» Okay.
>> She's been the top vote getter in Lster

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for many, many years.
>> Oh, okay.

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» As a council woman. Yeah.
>> She's great.

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» Good advisor.
>> Yep. I uh I lean on her a lot. I do.

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» Okay.
>> Because it's also an independent view

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» of
what I think is going on in town. And

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she's looking from the outside.
>> Well, it's a non noni

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» nonbias.
Yeah. So, It's probably enjoyable for

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her not to worry about whose toes she's
stepping on. That's right.

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» By giving you the advice, let him step
on your toes.

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» True.
>> Which, you know, might happen. I had I

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I'm going to go right to this question.
>> How much do you make as a select board

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member?
>> We make absolutely nothing.

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» That's that's what I I want people to
know that

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» you don't get even reimbured for
>> nothing.

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» Nothing. I have no no reimbursements.
I've never put in a receipt for

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anything.
>> Now, is there pressure on your family

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because of the hours that you've been
putting in and the phone calls you get

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at the weirdest times?
>> Absolutely.

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» Yeah.
>> It's a lot of pressure.

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» Yeah.
>> Um in all of this for the past four

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years, my wife has been the rock.
You know, she's uh absolutely amazing

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» because she's taken this ride. Do you
hear you signed up for it?

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» Uh, somewhat
>> at times.

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» Yeah. Yep. And a few other choice words
that we won't say this evening.

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» No, but you know, it's hard
>> uh because it

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» I am on the phone a lot and I'm
answering emails at all hours of the

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night because I try to spend time with
her as well. There's a balance, right?

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And if you don't have that balance, it's
not going to work.

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» Yeah.
>> So, I have to be

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open to
adjusting my hours at home and making

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sure I give her the attention she needs
as my wife.

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» Now, is this the first time that your
phone has been turned off in a while?

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» So, it's funny you said that because
we're starting a new practice in my

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home.
>> Mhm.

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» And that is
about 8 8:30. I'm trying to silence my

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phone. And when I mean silence, I put it
on airplane mode and I put it on the

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side of my bed.
And if somebody really needs me or if

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something really happened, they know my
home phone number. I have a landline

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» and
Mike, Mary, Jessica or Doug. I'm sure I

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would get a phone call and say, "Hey, so
I need to learn to balance town verse

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your your life, your home life, your
social life." A lot of things I have

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missed
due to town stuff. Um, and my wife is

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completely understanding.
You know, she sees how much I enjoy

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doing this
>> and

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I think deep down inside
she enjoys me doing this as well.

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» Well, what what did you used to do with
your spare time?

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» I worked and I worked and I worked. Um,
I am a medical assistant at a cardiology

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practice and I worked for a bez excuse
me a busy electrophysiologist.

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» Uh, he's a surgeon and I would go in at
7. I would leave 7 8:00 at night Monday

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through Thursday, sometimes going in on
Fridays. Um, I consumed myself with

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work.
>> And did they understand when you said,

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"Hey, listen. I'm gonna run for sweat
person in my town, so I'm not gonna be

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able to put in as many hours.
>> Yes.

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» Did that affect the practice?
>> Um,

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no.
>> I think it affected other people's

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workload a little bit,
>> but not drastically.

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» Okay.
>> Um,

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I was very open with the doctor and he
was very excited for me. He said, "You

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should do that. I think you would be
good at it."

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» That's good.
>> You know, he was a

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» I would say he was one of my
cheerleaders.

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» You know,
>> he'd always ask me, "Hey, so what are

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you doing tonight? You got a meeting
tonight?" Um, and occasionally he would

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uh Oh, I noticed that we're going to
have a few of your constituents in

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today.
And he would make a point of it to uh

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come in while I'm with one of them. And
>> because I would never mention it at

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work.
>> I really tried to keep my

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00:15:50,240 --> 00:15:53,519
» Yeah.
>> work in town separate. So I never, you

214
00:15:53,199 --> 00:15:55,759
know,
>> Right.

215
00:15:53,920 --> 00:15:58,000
» Uh but he would make a point to uh
mention that sometimes.

216
00:15:57,360 --> 00:16:00,240
» Yeah.
>> He's a really good guy.

217
00:15:59,040 --> 00:16:00,959
» It's kind of a
>> Yeah.

218
00:16:00,639 --> 00:16:03,680
» Yeah.
>> Yeah. He was

219
00:16:01,680 --> 00:16:09,120
» without you asking for it, you get that
pat on the back that hey

220
00:16:05,040 --> 00:16:10,480
» Yeah. Another fan like he mentor fan. He
motivated me.

221
00:16:10,079 --> 00:16:15,120
» Yeah.
>> You know, he um he encouraged me. Do you

222
00:16:13,600 --> 00:16:16,560
get that from towns people?
>> I do.

223
00:16:15,920 --> 00:16:18,000
» That's good.
>> I do.

224
00:16:17,040 --> 00:16:22,720
» That's good.
>> I do. I think I get more of that than I

225
00:16:20,079 --> 00:16:23,839
get of the naysayers,
>> you know, because there's a lot of

226
00:16:23,600 --> 00:16:27,480
people.
>> Is that what you expected?

227
00:16:29,360 --> 00:16:35,759
» Um,
>> did you expect more of a hard time from

228
00:16:33,600 --> 00:16:38,000
the normal people that give everybody a
hard time?

229
00:16:36,560 --> 00:16:40,959
» What I've learned is some people have
agendas.

230
00:16:39,360 --> 00:16:45,360
» Oh, yeah.
And if you don't go along with their

231
00:16:43,360 --> 00:16:47,600
agenda,
goodbye.

232
00:16:46,880 --> 00:16:51,680
» Yeah.
>> And that's how it kind of went.

233
00:16:50,160 --> 00:16:54,720
» Yeah. That's
>> Yeah.

234
00:16:52,639 --> 00:16:57,519
» That's that's one way to do it, I guess.
>> Yeah.

235
00:16:55,680 --> 00:17:02,320
» For a good part of your tenure as a
sweatboard member,

236
00:16:59,199 --> 00:17:06,959
» it seems you have been in difficult
staffing situations.

237
00:17:04,480 --> 00:17:13,360
» How does this affect the running of the
town? And did you think anything could

238
00:17:10,319 --> 00:17:16,319
be done to minimize future resignations.
I don't think you in your first four

239
00:17:15,520 --> 00:17:19,919
years.
>> Yeah.

240
00:17:17,520 --> 00:17:22,799
» There hadn't been much time in that four
years where there was three select

241
00:17:22,079 --> 00:17:24,880
people.
>> No,

242
00:17:23,679 --> 00:17:26,880
» it was always two.
>> Correct.

243
00:17:26,000 --> 00:17:28,960
» That that is
>> there was a lot of change.

244
00:17:27,839 --> 00:17:30,640
» That is unusual. A
>> lot of turnover.

245
00:17:29,919 --> 00:17:36,240
» Yeah.
>> And it was hard.

246
00:17:32,720 --> 00:17:40,960
» Yeah. Um, I was new
and when somebody tells you, okay, you

247
00:17:39,440 --> 00:17:45,360
know, it's either affecting their home
life or they have a medical condition or

248
00:17:42,960 --> 00:17:51,679
something and they need to step away,
you have that moment where you say,

249
00:17:48,960 --> 00:17:58,160
» oh yeah, something like that. Yeah,
exactly. Um, and but you know what? Like

250
00:17:56,240 --> 00:18:03,200
I said earlier,
you surround yourself with good people.

251
00:18:00,080 --> 00:18:08,640
» Yeah. And we have amazing people in this
town. Employees, volunteers,

252
00:18:07,120 --> 00:18:12,880
amazing.
>> They

253
00:18:10,559 --> 00:18:16,960
I don't think I've ever had somebody
say, "No, I can't do that for you."

254
00:18:15,039 --> 00:18:21,520
» I have a lot of people say, "How can I
help you?

255
00:18:18,160 --> 00:18:25,919
» Is there anything I can do for you?"
>> So,

256
00:18:23,039 --> 00:18:29,760
yep, there was some resignations. Um,
people decided to move on and such. You

257
00:18:28,320 --> 00:18:34,400
can't control that,
>> you know. You got to just keep going

258
00:18:31,120 --> 00:18:38,559
forward and do the best you possibly can
with what you have. And we have amazing

259
00:18:36,559 --> 00:18:44,000
staff. So, it was easy.
>> Now, you you've been with I'm going to

260
00:18:41,120 --> 00:18:47,919
call it two different
or actually three different town

261
00:18:46,480 --> 00:18:52,720
administrators,
>> Mr. Hansen.

262
00:18:49,440 --> 00:18:57,600
» But the last two the last two
>> had very very different styles.

263
00:18:56,480 --> 00:19:04,400
» Mhm.
Um, I'm being kind and you know it.

264
00:19:02,559 --> 00:19:11,919
» How did you handle the two different
styles and get the same job done?

265
00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:18,160
H when did it come to a point that you
said to yourself, I I I just can't do it

266
00:19:15,120 --> 00:19:24,640
that way or
you know I this doesn't seem right to me

267
00:19:20,640 --> 00:19:28,480
or you know because the one person was
very difficult for the volunteers in

268
00:19:26,799 --> 00:19:33,200
town to work with
>> and that had to affect you because I

269
00:19:31,679 --> 00:19:39,600
know a lot of people that they just
decided you know what I'm not doing

270
00:19:35,679 --> 00:19:39,600
anything until that person is gone.

271
00:19:42,240 --> 00:19:49,039
That's a very good question. It's,
you know, you hindsight's 2020,

272
00:19:48,480 --> 00:19:52,960
» right?
>> Oh, yeah.

273
00:19:50,160 --> 00:19:58,799
» Um, and everybody has different
personalities and different ways of

274
00:19:56,320 --> 00:20:03,679
doing things.
And

275
00:20:01,200 --> 00:20:07,840
you can't knock them for that because
that's their style, their personality.

276
00:20:06,080 --> 00:20:13,360
you're not changing somebody's
personality or the way they do things.

277
00:20:11,360 --> 00:20:20,480
Um,
so you try to work with them. You try to

278
00:20:15,120 --> 00:20:28,559
do the best you can. And sometimes
people decide to part ways and that's

279
00:20:23,760 --> 00:20:33,200
okay, you know. Um,
it's taxing though. It's taxing on the

280
00:20:31,679 --> 00:20:35,520
employees.
Um,

281
00:20:34,799 --> 00:20:36,799
» left.
>> Yeah.

282
00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:41,120
» Yep.
>> Or were totally

283
00:20:39,679 --> 00:20:45,200
» long-term employees.
>> Yeah.

284
00:20:42,480 --> 00:20:49,280
» Okay. All right. Let's let's not get
into that type of a negativity then.

285
00:20:47,200 --> 00:20:54,720
» No, it is what it is.
>> Yeah.

286
00:20:52,080 --> 00:20:58,880
Um, some people who have been on the
select board in the past came to the

287
00:20:56,880 --> 00:21:04,799
select board with plans to introduce
changes to improve the town. Did you

288
00:21:02,240 --> 00:21:08,080
have improvements and changes as part of
your plans when you were elected?

289
00:21:06,960 --> 00:21:09,440
» No.
>> Okay.

290
00:21:08,799 --> 00:21:14,240
» Zero.
>> You didn't see anything that you said,

291
00:21:11,840 --> 00:21:18,640
"Boy, I wish I could make that a little
bit different or I wish I could, you

292
00:21:16,559 --> 00:21:23,679
know, in the future, can we do this a
little bit different?" Did you change

293
00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:28,320
anything the way it's done?
>> I I know there one thing that you did

294
00:21:25,760 --> 00:21:35,120
do. You got the 15minute clock now.
>> Yes. which I don't think we even know

295
00:21:31,600 --> 00:21:40,559
the results of that yet because it just
started

296
00:21:36,240 --> 00:21:45,520
» and the people that caused it I think
are fading away.

297
00:21:42,880 --> 00:21:48,080
» So, you know, you know what I'm saying?
It's

298
00:21:46,320 --> 00:21:53,760
» I mean there was a reason we did it.
>> Yep.

299
00:21:49,600 --> 00:21:56,960
» Do you see that going on forever?
>> For as long as I'm on the board, I would

300
00:21:56,159 --> 00:21:59,679
hope so.
>> Okay. Okay. Okay.

301
00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:02,400
» But things change,
>> you know, people come and go, things

302
00:22:01,919 --> 00:22:05,120
change,
>> right?

303
00:22:02,880 --> 00:22:09,679
» Um, in the beginning, I didn't really
know what to think. So, I did take

304
00:22:07,679 --> 00:22:11,039
» Mike McCllum's advice. I sat back and
watched,

305
00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:15,840
» right?
>> You know, and it it takes a good two

306
00:22:14,320 --> 00:22:22,480
years
to really figure out the ins and outs

307
00:22:19,360 --> 00:22:26,240
and how certain departments work. And of
course, you could just jump in and say,

308
00:22:23,600 --> 00:22:30,320
"Ah, you should do it that way." Well,
doesn't work that way. You know, you put

309
00:22:28,400 --> 00:22:34,400
a department head in place
>> because they know that job. They're the

310
00:22:32,960 --> 00:22:37,840
expert, right? They're the professional
in that job.

311
00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:40,799
» So, you have to respect that. And you
don't go in,

312
00:22:39,440 --> 00:22:44,880
» okay, here we go. We're doing it this
way now. This way now. No, we it's it's

313
00:22:43,280 --> 00:22:48,799
about conversations,
>> you know, how are we going to do it,

314
00:22:47,039 --> 00:22:50,320
» right? let's figure this out together.
>> Yeah.

315
00:22:49,440 --> 00:22:55,120
» You know,
>> because if we're not doing it together,

316
00:22:52,960 --> 00:23:00,159
one of us is doing it alone and it's not
going to work.

317
00:22:56,799 --> 00:23:05,360
» So now, by not having,
I guess, what politicians called a

318
00:23:02,159 --> 00:23:08,799
platform with, you know, we're going to
do this and this and this and this,

319
00:23:07,120 --> 00:23:15,679
we're going to strengthen this and get
rid of this and blah blah blah.

320
00:23:12,400 --> 00:23:23,559
Does that way of thinking
help in a town situation,

321
00:23:19,840 --> 00:23:23,559
small town situation.

322
00:23:23,760 --> 00:23:27,600
» There could be a ripple effect with
that.

323
00:23:26,640 --> 00:23:32,400
» Okay.
>> Um,

324
00:23:29,520 --> 00:23:35,600
like I said, you have to allow the
people

325
00:23:34,320 --> 00:23:37,919
to do their jobs.
>> Yeah.

326
00:23:36,080 --> 00:23:40,400
» You know, you can't go in there with a
hammer

327
00:23:39,520 --> 00:23:43,760
and
>> if you need a screwdriver.

328
00:23:41,760 --> 00:23:48,559
» Yeah. You don't you need to learn it.
And that's one thing I did. I learned

329
00:23:46,320 --> 00:23:56,240
the departments.
I met with the department heads. Um

330
00:23:53,440 --> 00:24:02,000
I got to know them,
>> you know, personally

331
00:23:58,480 --> 00:24:05,120
» and professionally
and they taught me. So,

332
00:24:03,600 --> 00:24:06,559
» and you were willing to learn.
>> Absolutely.

333
00:24:05,840 --> 00:24:11,200
» See that that
>> I love to learn. If you saw a a a

334
00:24:09,039 --> 00:24:21,120
destructive
entity enter into a facet of the town

335
00:24:16,320 --> 00:24:24,640
that you as the select board oversee.
>> Mhm.

336
00:24:22,320 --> 00:24:25,440
» You don't you don't do it. You oversee
it.

337
00:24:25,039 --> 00:24:30,880
» Correct.
>> How would you handle that?

338
00:24:28,559 --> 00:24:34,480
» Um conversations.
>> Yeah.

339
00:24:33,039 --> 00:24:42,960
» You have to have conversations.
>> Yeah. You know, I'm a firm believer in

340
00:24:39,360 --> 00:24:48,320
having good conversation. You know what?
We're not always going to agree. We're

341
00:24:45,760 --> 00:24:53,120
not always going to agree with the way
somebody does their job or the way they

342
00:24:50,159 --> 00:24:58,320
get to A to B. I might do it
differently, but you have put that

343
00:24:55,279 --> 00:25:03,120
person in that place in that job to do
the job,

344
00:24:59,520 --> 00:25:08,240
» right? And
you have to have conversations and it's

345
00:25:05,520 --> 00:25:13,039
feedback. You know, I've had plenty of
people come to me, Dave, I wish you

346
00:25:10,159 --> 00:25:20,960
didn't say that that way. I wish you
wouldn't have done that. Okay. Why not?

347
00:25:17,679 --> 00:25:24,880
Why? Tell me why. Not just you shouldn't
have done it. Tell me why don't you

348
00:25:23,039 --> 00:25:29,279
think I should have done it that way?
And then you have a conversation and you

349
00:25:27,520 --> 00:25:31,760
figure it out. Sometimes you're like,
"Yeah, you're right. You know what? I

350
00:25:31,120 --> 00:25:36,000
got to change."
>> Or it's opposing points of view and

351
00:25:34,640 --> 00:25:38,320
sorry, but that's how I feel.
>> You just agree to disagree.

352
00:25:37,840 --> 00:25:41,520
» Yeah.
>> You know,

353
00:25:38,960 --> 00:25:48,159
» yeah.
>> Somebody once said to me, "If you don't

354
00:25:44,320 --> 00:25:53,360
agree with somebody or the way they the
thought process or whatever,

355
00:25:50,720 --> 00:25:56,480
he goes he can say this." He goes, "I
appreciate your opinion, but I don't

356
00:25:55,840 --> 00:25:59,840
share it."
>> Yeah.

357
00:25:57,679 --> 00:26:02,240
Yeah, that's a
>> Yeah, that

358
00:26:00,559 --> 00:26:03,919
» because we all have opinions and you you
have a certain way you want to do

359
00:26:03,440 --> 00:26:06,000
things.
>> Oh, yeah.

360
00:26:04,400 --> 00:26:08,400
» You know, look at this great this great
space right now.

361
00:26:06,880 --> 00:26:13,440
» Oh, yeah. Yeah.
>> We said, Jim, well, you came to us and

362
00:26:10,559 --> 00:26:15,360
you said, "We want to do a studio."
>> I said, "That's fabulous."

363
00:26:14,640 --> 00:26:19,919
» Yeah.
>> And we weren't coming down here with the

364
00:26:17,840 --> 00:26:24,559
clipboard.
He said, "Go for it. You're surrounded

365
00:26:23,200 --> 00:26:27,039
by great people."
>> And we got the budget. And you got the

366
00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:30,400
budget.
>> That was the Well, we don't have a

367
00:26:29,200 --> 00:26:34,480
budget.
>> We had the account

368
00:26:32,799 --> 00:26:38,400
» which was sitting there for
>> Comcast. Yeah. Comcast account just to

369
00:26:36,559 --> 00:26:39,919
be clear. It's not the operating budget
or anything,

370
00:26:39,120 --> 00:26:43,679
» right?
>> But we didn't come down here and tell

371
00:26:41,440 --> 00:26:47,600
you how to do it.
>> We didn't tell you. True. You know,

372
00:26:45,840 --> 00:26:51,520
» you had a vision
>> and I believed in your vision and Joe

373
00:26:50,000 --> 00:26:55,919
and Emma,
>> you know, you guys had a vision.

374
00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:58,080
» No way would I ever step. I know nothing
about the audiovisisual world.

375
00:26:57,600 --> 00:27:01,200
» Neither do I.
>> It's not my specialty.

376
00:26:58,960 --> 00:27:04,400
» Neither do I. How is it built?
>> Right.

377
00:27:01,760 --> 00:27:08,559
» They tell me what it has to be.
And I Yeah. I guess a lot of people in

378
00:27:06,400 --> 00:27:16,559
town are like the same.
>> They they use their strengths to work

379
00:27:11,600 --> 00:27:21,120
with other people to make something, do
something, achieve something. So yeah,

380
00:27:20,080 --> 00:27:22,480
it was pretty cool,
>> you know. And you

381
00:27:22,080 --> 00:27:26,000
» Yeah.
>> You surround yourself with good people.

382
00:27:24,240 --> 00:27:30,880
» Yeah. you know, people you trust and
rely on.

383
00:27:27,360 --> 00:27:34,080
» Hey, you've been four years now.
>> It'll be going on four years. Yes.

384
00:27:32,799 --> 00:27:36,559
» It'll be four years in a month.
>> You're going to love this question.

385
00:27:35,200 --> 00:27:43,400
» Oh, I love it.
>> How did co

386
00:27:38,559 --> 00:27:43,400
and Zoom affect the town?

387
00:27:44,320 --> 00:27:51,120
» You must have a special story about Zoom
>> because we're still doing it.

388
00:27:49,200 --> 00:27:54,960
» Yeah.
>> CO was awful. Let's face it. It was it

389
00:27:53,360 --> 00:27:58,480
was a terrible time.
>> Um,

390
00:27:56,720 --> 00:28:03,679
but
everybody

391
00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:09,840
supported everybody wherever you were,
>> you know. Um, and it really showed the

392
00:28:08,240 --> 00:28:13,600
compassion
that

393
00:28:11,440 --> 00:28:16,720
was insides some people, you know,
because people were getting sick, people

394
00:28:15,200 --> 00:28:23,279
were dying.
>> Oh, yeah. you know, and town government

395
00:28:20,799 --> 00:28:28,480
still runs.
>> So, how do you do it?

396
00:28:26,480 --> 00:28:34,159
» Zoom.
I wish I bought stock in Zoom when CO

397
00:28:32,720 --> 00:28:37,360
first hit.
>> Oh, yeah.

398
00:28:34,640 --> 00:28:44,720
» Um,
Zoom is a great thing.

399
00:28:40,240 --> 00:28:49,760
I believe that it has gotten many people
more involved

400
00:28:46,640 --> 00:28:55,440
in town government, just in the town in
general with volunteerism.

401
00:28:53,120 --> 00:29:02,240
Um, people are able to do it from their
home where sometimes they may not have a

402
00:28:58,880 --> 00:29:05,600
car. Um, they may want to get to a
meeting. It could be snowing out. Let me

403
00:29:03,840 --> 00:29:07,600
hop on the computer.
>> Oh, yeah.

404
00:29:06,159 --> 00:29:14,240
» And you can interact.
>> It's a great thing. Um,

405
00:29:11,039 --> 00:29:19,600
I love that we're back in town hall
because when I first joined the board,

406
00:29:17,360 --> 00:29:20,960
never had a meeting in town hall and I
couldn't wait

407
00:29:20,480 --> 00:29:24,559
» Oh.
>> to get back into town hall.

408
00:29:23,440 --> 00:29:27,760
» Yeah.
>> So, that was the timing.

409
00:29:26,320 --> 00:29:33,120
» Yeah.
>> Cuz to me, Zoom was, you know, it was

410
00:29:30,720 --> 00:29:39,279
almost like
we have Zoom now we could have COVID.

411
00:29:37,360 --> 00:29:42,480
What would we have done if we didn't
have Zoom?

412
00:29:41,520 --> 00:29:46,559
» It would have been
>> Well, it would have been six foot

413
00:29:44,399 --> 00:29:49,200
sitting six foot apart meetings
>> outside.

414
00:29:47,840 --> 00:29:53,120
» Remember the town meeting we had at
Allenfield?

415
00:29:51,600 --> 00:29:56,240
» That was uh
>> strange.

416
00:29:53,679 --> 00:30:01,200
» I won't forget the day Mike Bustle Mike
McCllum was uh wrapped up in a jacket.

417
00:29:58,559 --> 00:30:06,000
We had a heater blown and the sound was
too much for the communication part.

418
00:30:04,399 --> 00:30:10,000
» So they said, "We got to shut the heater
off." I'm like, "What?

419
00:30:08,720 --> 00:30:13,279
What do you mean shut the heater off?
This is going to be a long meeting.

420
00:30:11,520 --> 00:30:17,200
Everybody's in their cars. The heat's
cranking. Here we are. Me, Mike, the

421
00:30:15,760 --> 00:30:22,240
moderator. There was a ton of people
there. It was

422
00:30:19,440 --> 00:30:23,360
» I was It was amazing to be a part of
that."

423
00:30:22,799 --> 00:30:26,799
» Yeah.
>> Because that's never happened.

424
00:30:25,520 --> 00:30:28,399
» Yeah, it's true.
>> You know,

425
00:30:27,279 --> 00:30:32,000
» it's true.
>> Outside in front of Ashby Elementary

426
00:30:30,399 --> 00:30:34,159
School another time.
>> Yeah.

427
00:30:32,399 --> 00:30:37,760
» Granted, it was much warmer at that
time.

428
00:30:34,799 --> 00:30:39,840
» Yeah. Still the just putting that thing
together.

429
00:30:39,279 --> 00:30:41,520
» It was
>> amazing people.

430
00:30:40,720 --> 00:30:47,760
» Yeah, it was it was
>> amazing from the clerk

431
00:30:43,279 --> 00:30:52,080
» to everybody helped out. Everybody
>> everybody got together and helped

432
00:30:50,399 --> 00:30:56,960
wherever they could.
>> It's

433
00:30:53,600 --> 00:31:01,919
this community is amazing
especially when

434
00:30:59,120 --> 00:31:06,720
the crap hits the fan.
It could be anything from somebody's

435
00:31:04,799 --> 00:31:13,679
house catching fire
>> to somebody losing a family member to

436
00:31:10,240 --> 00:31:19,760
somebody having a new grandbaby.
Everybody wraps around and supports each

437
00:31:16,240 --> 00:31:26,159
other in the time of needs, in time of
happiness. Doesn't matter. They may not

438
00:31:23,039 --> 00:31:31,200
agree with you all the time, but I found
a lot of people that don't necessarily

439
00:31:28,880 --> 00:31:35,520
agree with my thought process or my
opinions. They'll be the first to call

440
00:31:33,279 --> 00:31:40,720
me and say, "Hey, how you doing? I
noticed you were off on the meeting a

441
00:31:37,279 --> 00:31:44,640
little bit. Anything going on?"
And it

442
00:31:42,640 --> 00:31:48,320
I was blown away. Many times it's
happened. I'm like, "Thank you for

443
00:31:46,080 --> 00:31:51,360
calling." People just call and say, you
know, I appreciate you. I appreciate

444
00:31:50,559 --> 00:31:58,640
what you're doing.
>> Really? Yeah. Many, many times. That's

445
00:31:54,960 --> 00:32:04,159
what keeps me going, Jim. It's that
>> I've talked to a lot of other

446
00:32:01,440 --> 00:32:10,799
» select board members. Nobody's ever said
that to me that they get called to say

447
00:32:07,200 --> 00:32:15,440
that they're appreciated or all of them
say they get called calls.

448
00:32:13,679 --> 00:32:16,240
» Oh, we get those too. Let's not, you
know,

449
00:32:15,919 --> 00:32:18,799
» but
>> but the good definitely outweighs the

450
00:32:18,480 --> 00:32:21,600
bad
>> every once in a while.

451
00:32:20,240 --> 00:32:24,640
» There's one. There's one or two. Yeah.
>> And you know, our job is to listen.

452
00:32:24,320 --> 00:32:31,039
» Yeah.
>> We're not going to face it. Sometimes we

453
00:32:26,799 --> 00:32:37,919
can, but we listen. We try to help them
as much as we can. Some of it's out of

454
00:32:33,440 --> 00:32:42,240
our control, but you show support. All
people, some people just want to be

455
00:32:39,200 --> 00:32:47,840
heard, you know, and their opinion
matters as well as my opinion, your

456
00:32:44,640 --> 00:32:51,760
opinion. Everybody's, it matters because
that's how they feel.

457
00:32:49,360 --> 00:32:57,840
» Do you think people
feel like you you are the person that

458
00:32:55,840 --> 00:33:00,960
changes things.
>> They do

459
00:32:59,200 --> 00:33:05,919
» when they when they approach you. Like
last night, I was listening to somebody

460
00:33:03,840 --> 00:33:10,080
that was talking during 15 minutes.
>> Mhm.

461
00:33:06,880 --> 00:33:14,159
» And I got the impression that they
wanted to say it and you were going to

462
00:33:13,120 --> 00:33:16,559
change it
>> immediately.

463
00:33:14,960 --> 00:33:19,840
» Just like that. You were going to write
something out and it was done. It was

464
00:33:18,480 --> 00:33:22,559
changed. Mhm.
>> You don't have that power, do you?

465
00:33:21,440 --> 00:33:26,480
» No, we do not.
>> And you don't want that power.

466
00:33:24,480 --> 00:33:27,840
» No, I do not.
>> No, I do not.

467
00:33:27,360 --> 00:33:30,880
» Okay.
>> But I'll help them.

468
00:33:29,679 --> 00:33:33,519
» Oh, no.
>> You know, that's obvious.

469
00:33:32,880 --> 00:33:35,120
» Get it there.
>> But that's you.

470
00:33:34,399 --> 00:33:39,840
» Yeah.
>> That's you. You You're sticking yourself

471
00:33:37,120 --> 00:33:45,200
out there. That's unusual
>> for for a select board member to put

472
00:33:42,159 --> 00:33:50,399
themselves out there like that.
But you seem to have that personality

473
00:33:47,279 --> 00:33:54,880
and people look at you and say, "Oh,
brown eyes.

474
00:33:53,279 --> 00:33:59,200
I could talk to this guy."
>> Uh, you sound.

475
00:33:56,640 --> 00:34:03,600
» No, but you but you you have that
temperament that you make it easy to

476
00:34:02,720 --> 00:34:07,279
talk to you.
>> Thank you. Appreciate that.

477
00:34:05,039 --> 00:34:12,240
» Well, I'm not I'm not trying to make the
move on you. I'm just saying that

478
00:34:09,599 --> 00:34:17,839
» I think from what I've understood,
that's the way people feel about you.

479
00:34:14,480 --> 00:34:20,960
you you have that temperament that you
know they got to say it to somebody.

480
00:34:20,480 --> 00:34:24,399
» Yeah.
>> You know, so thank you very much for

481
00:34:23,760 --> 00:34:28,159
coming in.
>> Thank you.

482
00:34:24,879 --> 00:34:37,960
» And uh you know we we I think we learned
a lot about the select board, you know.

483
00:34:32,079 --> 00:34:37,960
» I mean so thank you. I appreciate it.