Wenham Leaders to Tackle Accountant Opening

Wenham Selectmen meet on Tuesday to discuss an opening in the town's finance department.

The Wenham Board of Selectmen plan to meet on Tuesday to discuss the latest changes in the town's finance department. The town accountant, Catherine Grabriel has resigned and her last day is later this month. The Board of Selectmen meet at 6:30 p.m. at Wenham Town Hall with the only item on the agenda to discuss the vacancy. The department is being run by Baystate Municipal Accounting Group, which has been providing Selectmen with updates on the operations of the department, which has had three finnace directors s in the past three years. Jack Wilhelm, the newest selectmen who was elected last month and who said during the campaign that he was concerned about the department, called the updates "quite detailed, quite comprehensive" after …

•  2 Comments
• Photos (1)

Patch Facts

Five Things to Know on May 7: Wenham to Get Update on Finance Department

An essential get-me-going daily morning column from Hamilton-Wenham Patch.

Today is Tuesday, May 7. Here are five things you need to know in Hamilton and Wenham: 1. Clearing: Tuesday is expected to start out much the way Monday started, with some fog before eventual clearing with the temperature getting into the 60s. 2. SeniorCare: SeniorCare, a non-profit that helps senior citizens in both Hamilton and Wenham as well as much of the North Shore, opens as new office in Cummings Center on Tuesday. The organization’s headquarters are still in Gloucester and the Beverly office will be a satellite office. There will be a ribbon cutting with coffee and a light breakfast at 8 p.m. a Suite 106H in the 100 building. 3. Crafts: Every Tuesday is craft day for kids at Green Meadow Farm. Kids Craft Days is for ages 3-8 and …

• Photos (1)

Letter to the Editor: Wenham Finance Department Needs a Long-Term Solution

Wenham resident Michelle Bailey writes in support of a "long-term solution" for the town's Finance Department.

To the Editor: Last week, Selectmen (Kenneth) Whittaker and FinCom Chairman (Michael) Lucy wrote in a letter published on Patch “there is no feedback from any objective source,” that problems exist in our town finance department. Perhaps I am not objective since mine was one of nearly 40 households to receive an incorrect property tax bill this past Monday. The inaccurate bill showed unpaid taxes, a late fee and interest charges. Rather surprising, since it was paid in December. The two letters sent by the town explain an error was made in posting our payment. Anyone can make an error, but good financial management catches these errors. With our part-time staff, the basic financial services are suffering. At the Selectmen’s meeting last …

• Photos (1)

Wenham Needs In-House Finance Director, Former Director Tells Selectmen

Wenham's former finance director came before the Board of Selectmen to offer feedback on the town's plans to handle its finance department.

The former Wenham Finance Director told the Wenham Board of Selectmen on Tuesday that the town needs a full-time, in-house finance director at Wenham Town Hall. The comments came from Sarah Johnson, who lives in Wenham but works as the finance director in Weston. She was Wenham's finance director for five years until leaving for the Weston job in 2010. "You wouldn't be in the position you are in now with the work backed up," Johnson told Selectmen, according to a tape of the meeting posted to the HWCam website. Johnson said she has sent her opinion to the board via e-mails. The town had contracted with Baystate Municipal Services to get the fiscal 2014 budget prepared in advance on Saturday's Annual Town Meeting. The town plans to hire an …

•  11 Comments
• Photos (1)

Michelle Bailey

1:44 pm on Friday, April 5, 2013

What does Mark Andrews know about municipal finance? Let's see what his former employer has to say. "That was a pretty good sales job, going to Town Meeting, he made," Selectmen Chair Steve Holmes said of Andrews, and called the idea the "worst idea on the planet." At the time, former Town Administrator Mark Andrews argued that the healthcare fund had more money than necessary, and the healthcare…   more ›

Letter to the Editor: Wenham Must Consider 'New and Innovative Ways to Solve Recurrent Problems'

A member of the Wenham Board of Selectmen and chairman of the Finance and Advisory Committee write with an update on the town's finance department.

To The Editor: This letter is intended to provide insight and reassurance to Wenham residents that the town’s Finance Department continues to provide necessary and appropriate services in an uninterrupted manner. Wenham’s track record with its outside auditors remains sound. The functions of the department, such as collecting taxes and paying the town’s bills continue in a timely manner. There is no feedback from any objective source that indicates otherwise. The hard work of the Finance Department, Town Administrator and Baystate Municipal Accounting Group is worthy of recognition. Additional resources will likely add efficiency by reducing demands on our senior financial personnel. It is for this reason that additional resources were …

•  6 Comments
• Photos (1)

Patch Facts

Five Things to Know on March 12: Choralfest to Include Singers of All Ages

An essential get-me-going daily morning column from Hamilton-Wenham Patch.

Today is Tuesday, March 12. Here are five things you need to know in Hamilton and Wenham: 1. Rain: Tuesday will be a cloudy and rainy day, with heavy rain forecasted for later in the day and temperatures into the mid-50s. But it should not last for long – the rain is forecasted to move out overnight and Wednesday is supposed to be a sunny day. 2. Choralfest: Choruses from all of the schools in the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District come together for Choralfest on Tuesday night at Gordon College. It starts at 7 p.m. in the Chapel and admission is free. The annual event includes performances of “family favorites and classics” and ends with a “mass sing” where all of the choirs join together. 3. Unemployment: We’ll hear the latest …

• Photos (1)

Expressing Lost Confidence with the Budget Process, Wenham FinCom Chairman Resigns

The chairman of the Wenham Finance Advisory Committee resigned on Monday night - a month before Town Meeting - because of concern about the budget process this year.

The chairman of the Wenham Finance Advisory Committee resigned on Monday night after "losing confidence in the integrity of the (budget) process." Catherine Harrison said in her resignation letter that her resignation was effective Tuesday - about a month before the Annual Town Meeting. Her concerns have developed over the past 4-5 months, she said. "It has been a struggle to balance my desire to fulfill my obligation as a FinCom member (“to advise and make recommendations to town meeting on the budget and other areas of finance…”), with my dissatisfaction with the process," she said. Harrison said that one of two guiding principles, both as a professional and a volunteer, is to follow "a good process that is carefully crafted, and then …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Patch Facts

Five Things to Know on Dec. 27: Free Family Skating

An essential get-me-going daily morning column from Hamilton-Wenham Patch.

Today is Thursday, Dec. 27. Here are five things you need to know in Hamilton and Wenham: 1. Storm: A storm that moved in overnight on Wednesday is expected to last until at least midday on Thursday, starting as snow before changing over to rain for most of the day on Thursday. It will be very windy and temperatures will be in the 40s. 2. Family Skate: Here’s a great activity idea close to home during school vacation week – free family skating at Pingree School. The Johnson rink will be open to the public from 1:30-3:30 p.m. on Thursday for skating. No pucks or sticks will be allowed and there are no skate rentals so bring your own skates. 3. Christmas Trees: Are you trying to figure out what you are going to do with your Christmas Tree? …

• Photos (1)

Letter to the Editor: 'Wenham Needs to Return to a Model That Works'

Harriet Davis writes in regard to the future of the Wenham Finance Department.

To the Editor: The Wenham Finance Department is in disarray as our most recent Finance Director has returned to the private sector. Ever since Sarah Johnson left Wenham in 2010 to become finance director of the much larger department in Weston, Wenham has been drifting from pillar to post with a series of poorly thought out solutions which all ultimately failed. So what are our selectmen doing about it?  Well, on Tuesday night, our interim town administrator came up with a woefully inadequate proposal — outsource the finance department to a part-time consulting firm manned essentially by one person who works full time for another municipality and who would work primarily off-site. Wise folk are shaking their heads — what is really going on…

•  4 Comments
• Photos (1)

Anne Sweeney

5:19 pm on Saturday, December 29, 2012

Hire Peter Hersey and pay him what he is worth as a banking executive to do the job. If he would accept this position, it's a no brainer. He has the wisdom, knows the town, an amicable personality, skill sets and leadership acumen, if everyone would get behind him !   more ›

Outside Company Eyed to Take Helm of Wenham Finance Dept.

Wenham town leaders will continue to get details from a consultant that was the only company to submit a quote to take over Finance Department through the end of the fiscal year.

Wenham town leaders will continue to get more details from an outside finance service company before making a decision about whether to have the company fill the Finance Director job through the end of the fiscal year. Tuesday was Finance Director Paula Bartlett’s last day on the job. The position is open for the third time in as many years and Interim Town Administrator Mark Andrews sought bids from private firm to fill the position through the end of the fiscal year. “We are at a peak period in the budgetary process,” Andrews said, explaining the position's importance. While he contacted six companies, only one quote was submitted – 15 hours of work at Wenham Town Hall and 40 hours off site and the “ability to interact 24-7” for $25,000 …

• Photos (1)