Appointment of new Riga deputy
supervisor raises some questions

A recent decision by Riga Town Supervisor Pamela Moore has been met with concern by some residents. During a special meeting of the Riga Town Board on May 9, Moore announced that effective immediately, Council Member Kenneth Kuter was no longer deputy supervisor and that she had appointed Gilbert Budd as the new deputy supervisor. Budd is Moore's husband.

In a draft of minutes from the May 9 meeting, Moore stated that she had had discussions with council member Kuter about his performance in that position, so she would not go into that in an open meeting.

During an open forum at the beginning of a Town Board Workshop Meeting on May 22, two Riga residents questioned the appointment. According to a draft of the meeting minutes, residents called the move, "unprecedented action," that had the "appearance of nepotism." Concerns were also expressed that in the case of family travel, illness or emergency, the deputy supervisor might not be available to fill in for the supervisor.

Gilbert Budd spoke during the open forum (as reported in the minutes) stating that he is "very proud to be the husband of Pamela Moore … as he is happy to be appointed deputy." Budd did not see anything wrong with his appointment, "… if you are looking for honesty, loyalty there is no better person to go to than a family member."

Supervisor Moore responded (via email) to questions and concerns put to her by this reporter in regards to the appointment. Moore said that she ran for supervisor with a team to bring about change in the way government in Riga operates. She said she is still committed to the principles of open government, fiscal responsibility and developing a long term plan for the future. "Over time, my philosophy and that of my teammates diverged to the point that from my perspective, we are regressing on the early progress we made on these principles. In order to fulfill the promises I made to the voters, I need a deputy supervisor who is willing to work with me to achieve these goals."

Moore wrote that Gil Budd has the qualifications to do the job, he has attended town board meetings and is knowledgeable on town issues. He is also committed to the principles of open government, fiscal responsibility and developing a long-term plan for the future and is, "willing to be an active deputy supervisor."

On the issue of nepotism, Moore said nepotism refers to an act of favoring relatives because of relationship rather than abilities. She said nepotism is, " … a hot button word used to evoke emotion by her critics." The appointment of Budd, she said, does not meet the definition of nepotism because the choice was made based on his abilities. Moore added that it is not uncommon in small communities that persons chosen for positions are related to those in public office. She gave several examples in Riga: a former town assessor who was married to a former council member when he held elected office; a former chairperson of the Recreation Committee/former Recreation Board member who was the wife of a former council member and who held the position while her husband held office; and the fact that a current council member's son-in-law was appointed fire inspector. Moore said the question of nepotism was never raised in these cases, adding that in the case of the fire inspector, as in the case of her husband, the appointments were not nepotism because they both were based on the abilities of the appointees.

On the issues of availability, Moore said she doesn't see it as being an issue. In the past 16 months the deputy supervisor has acted on her behalf on only two occasions, she said, once during a town board meeting when she was ill and once at a retirement dinner while she was on vacation.

Under Riga Town Law, Article 3, Section 43, the deputy supervisor is appointed by the supervisor to serve at the pleasure of the supervisor. Town law also states that any person can be appointed deputy supervisor provided that the person appointed shall possess the same qualifications as the elected town officer. It is a paid position (approximately $4,000 per year.)

Riga Town Council Member Kenneth Kuter, who has served as deputy supervisor for 17 months, said during an interview with this newspaper that he felt the change was politically motivated. Kuter has been endorsed by the Riga Republican Committee for town supervisor in the November election. Kuter said he felt the appointment of Budd was "discouraging." Kuter questioned the decision making process which he said, "has not been the best." Kuter said his concern about the decision making process is one of the main reasons why he is running for supervisor and the appointment of the new deputy supervisor only adds credence to why he is running.

Moore said she did seek the Republican endorsement and that now, "all options remain on the table."

June 3, 2007