Little Compton administrator breaks new ground
To the editor:
In a story titled “Town hires itself an administrator,” the June 30 Sakonnet Times reported on an important milestone in the history of Little Compton town governance. At its June 23 meeting, the Town Council approved a contract to hire Tom Dunn, who has previously served as the town’s part-time “Business Manager,” to the position of full-time Town Administrator, with expanded responsibilities and authority.
This item is available in full to subscribers.
Please log in to continue |
Register to post eventsIf you'd like to post an event to our calendar, you can create a free account by clicking here. Note that free accounts do not have access to our subscriber-only content. |
Day pass subscribers
Are you a day pass subscriber who needs to log in? Click here to continue.
Little Compton administrator breaks new ground
To the editor:
In a story titled “Town hires itself an administrator,” the June 30 Sakonnet Times reported on an important milestone in the history of Little Compton town governance. At its June 23 meeting, the Town Council approved a contract to hire Tom Dunn, who has previously served as the town’s part-time “Business Manager,” to the position of full-time Town Administrator, with expanded responsibilities and authority.
Voters at the May 17 Financial Town Meeting approved an appropriation to fund the position on a full-time basis. In 2014, they had voted to amend Little Compton’s Home Rule Charter to change the position’s title from Business Manager to Town Administrator.
Long-time observers of town government will know that the question of whether Little Compton requires full-time administrative assistance has been debated for several decades at least. When the town’s Home Rule Charter was adopted by voters in 1994, it included the position of Business Manager, to be filled at the discretion of the Town Council, with compensation to be approved by voters at Financial Town Meeting.
In 2008, the Council proposed and the Financial Town Meeting approved establishing the position of Business Manager on a part-time basis.
Unlike all other Rhode Island municipalities which include a position of Town Administrator or town manager in their charters, the duties of Little Compton’s position are defined and described by ordinance, not in the charter. The difference is that those responsibilities can be amended at any time by the Town Council alone. Where the position’s duties are defined by charter, the substantial amendment of such duties can only be made by voters at a general or special election.
In addition to approving Mr. Dunn’s full-time status at its June 23 meeting, the Council also held a hearing and voted on amendments of the ordinance that defines the town administrator’s responsibilities and duties. In this respect, I think reporter Tom Dalglish’s story requires further clarification.
Mr. Dalglish, in the final paragraph of his story, wrote:
“In essence, the town administrator works for the Town Council, reports ‘on a day to day basis’ to the council president (especially in respect to priorities), serves as the chief administrative officer of the town, and shall ‘supervise and coordinate’ the ‘administrative activities’ of the fire chief, the police chief, the director of public works, the building official, and the town treasurer and tax collector (an elected official, in matters relating to the administration of town revenues and expenditures).”
This characterization of the administrator’s responsibilities and relationship with the Town Council apparently relied on the draft ordinance amendment the Council considered at its June 23 meeting, not the ordinance language the Council finally approved that night. I attended the June 23 hearing and meeting. At that time, after considerable discussion, the Council adopted an amended ordinance as follows:
1. The Town Administrator works for the Town Council, and is the Chief Administrative Officer of the Town. The Town Administrator reports on a regular basis to the Town Council or a Council member designated by the Town Council. In the absence of the Town Administrator, the Town Council shall appoint a temporary Town Administrator.
2. The Town Administrator shall supervise and coordinate the administrative activities of the Fire Chief, the Chief of Police, the Director or Public Works, and the Building Official, and shall coordinate the administration of the Treasurer in all matters relating to the administration of town revenues and expenditures.
The language of the ordinance now in effect is different in subtle but significant ways from what Mr. Dalglish reported. I believe the Council acted wisely in fashioning language that clarifies the “chain of command” between the Council and the Town Administrator as well as the administrator’s relationship to certain other appointed and elected town officials.
The Town Council strengthened the Town Administrator’s responsibility for day-to-day management, but without ceding its ultimate authority over the supervision of the Town Administrator or the policies the administrator is expected to implement.
The Council also acted to ensure that the administrator’s responsibilities do not impinge on the legal authority and autonomy of other elected town officials.
There will no doubt be bumps and hiccups along the way during this significant transition in the way Little Compton town government conducts some of its business. But I believe that with good will, patience, and luck, the establishment of the position of full-time Town Administrator, with a well-defined chain of authority, can be beneficial for the Town Council itself and the community as a whole.
Larry Anderson
Little Compton
