League of Women Voters Q & A

Published in today's Falmouth Enterprise were the questions posed to the candidates for various elected offices, and their respective answers.

I didn't write as much this year, but I still gave good, detailed answers. Feel free to contact me if you want me to elaborate more.

League of Women Voters of Falmouth
QUESTIONS FOR CANDIDATES FOR FALMOUTH SELECTMAN

NAME: Brent Putnam

ADDRESS: John Parker Road

OCCUPATION: For the past eight years, I have worked for Novell, Inc., a network and infrastructure software company, as a field support engineer. My responsibilities include problem solving, training, troubleshooting, and creating documentation. Because our products are mission-critical to our clients, I often have to work with difficult people in high stress situations that have tight deadlines.

Prior to this, I was employed by the “Big Four” accounting firm, Ernst & Young, LLP as their New England area Network Manager. My responsibilities there included planning, budgeting, and project management. With regard to the latter, I was part of project teams that built new offices in Newton and Hartford, and renovated the Boston office.

I have a consistent record of advancement and achievement with each of my employers. I have been promoted to roles of greater responsibility, and have been repeatedly recognized for my work ethic. In fact, I have received peer recognition awards on four different occasions over the past three years.


Your participation in Falmouth civic activities, including but not limited to participation in town government and town cultural, social, educational, political, business, religious and philanthropic organizations:

In 2006, the residents of Precinct 9 elected me to be one of their Town Meeting Representatives. That fall, my peers elected me Deputy Captain, and last year I was elected Precinct Captain.

I was appointed to the Falmouth Conservation Commission three times; once as an alternate member, and twice as a full voting member. I served for four years, choosing to step down because of other responsibilities.

Those other responsibilities include being President of the East Falmouth Village Association, and of the Old Barnstable/John Parker Neighborhood Association. I have been the webmaster for the Friends of Falmouth Farms for several years now; last year I was also elected Vice President.

I am a member of the Falmouth Amateur Radio Association, and we have family memberships with The 300 Committee and FCTV-13. We attend St. Anthony's Parish in East Falmouth and contribute to the Falmouth Service Center.

I am an Eagle Scout, a graduate of Falmouth High School (Class of '89; Member of the National Honor Society) and Cape Cod Community College (Associate in Science – Computer Information Systems; cum laude); I have been nominated for 2008 Alumni of the Year.

As a family, we are regular volunteers for the Falmouth Cranberry Harvest & Farm Festival. Our children are and have been in the Falmouth Public Schools and Falmouth Youth Hockey. My wife owns her own real estate brokerage here in town and is a member of the Falmouth Chamber of Commerce.


QUESTION A:
“On capitol projects with multi-million dollar budgets, what is the Selectmens' role in assuring that the town avoid significant cost overruns?”

The people of Falmouth look to the Board of Selectmen to be a bulwark of fiduciary responsibility. As the highest elected office in the town, there is an expectation that this body will be a watchdog so that there is never a need to ask taxpayers for more money. Indeed, this responsibility is outlined in various parts of the town code.

For example, the selectmen, “shall maintain liaison with all boards, commissions and committees” (Section C3-7D). The importance of this role cannot be understated, as this is how the selectmen stay on top of town government. If the liaisons are doing their jobs, personality conflicts, budget overruns and other issues would never become front page news.

Because the Board serves “as the chief executive...policy-making board of the town” (Section C3-3A), they can implement proactive policies to protect the taxpayer's dollar. For example, a surety bond could be required for all capital projects. This ensures completion of the project if, for whatever reason, there are issues with contracted parties, be they architects, contractors or otherwise.

Another proactive policy would be to require those who are directly responsible for a project to publicly convey the progress – or lack thereof – via periodic progress reports. Among other things, these reports should include finances, progress toward interim deadlines, and contingency plans for unanticipated problems. A short paragraph in the newspaper would not qualify.

The selectmen exercise control over town affairs by “Recommending major courses of action to the Town Meeting” (Section C3-2B). Therefore, they could recommend that town meeting make these policies a permanent part of the town's bylaws.

Falmouth has no ombudsman. The role “to make investigations and...investigate the affairs of the town and the conduct of any town department, office or agency” (Section C3-5) is granted exclusively to the selectmen.

Audits are one type of investigation. The state requires audits of capital projects when they are completed, but in some cases, years will have passed and tens of millions of dollars will be spent before that happens. For any project that falls behind schedule or over budget, an interim audit should be required. This would help pinpoint how the money was spent to date, help identify how much would be needed to complete the project, and perhaps even find lost money or identify were money could be saved.

A more thorough investigation of the type suggested in the town charter is an excellent way of ensuring accountability when a project has gone completely awry. Good, methodical investigations answer the questions that taxpayers ask: What went wrong? Why? Who is responsible? How can we prevent this from happening again?

Taking these proactive steps can prevent the need for after-the-fact intervention by the town's leaders on future multi-million dollar capital projects.


QUESTION B:
“Which of the nine major elements in Falmouth's Local Comprehensive Plan should be a priority for implementation and how do you suggest that this be accomplished?”

Planning – which falls under Element 1, Land Use & Growth Management – is probably the foundation of the other elements. However, choosing one element as a priority is impossible, as everything is interconnected.

Affordable Housing (Element 5) can bypass local planning via 40B. Economic Development (Element 3) affects affordable housing. If more people make more money, the median income will rise. Because the definition of affordable is based on an income of 80 percent of the median, 40B could become a non-issue. Any development – business, housing or otherwise – will affect water, coastal and wetlands resources (Element 2). Every element dovetails another.

I used to play the trombone, and know from experience that one part in a complex symphony doesn't sound complete by itself. So it is with the Local Comprehensive Plan. This is a comprehensive plan; to prioritize one element over another is like asking a conductor to chose the most important part in the orchestra. This is not a collection of solo performances, but rather a symphony in which each element plays an important part.