Health Board Records Reveal Half of Norwood Food Establishments Uninspected-September 15, 1977

Prompts Possible Resignation Threat from Director Bartley J. King

Inspection reports released yesterday by the Board of Health indicate that only 75 health inspections of local food service establishments—including restaurants and supermarkets—have been conducted since January 1, 1975, leaving more than half of the town’s approximately 82 food service businesses completely uninspected over the two-and-a-half-year period.

Health Department Inspection Backlog and Public Records Release

The records show that all recent inspections were performed by Health Director Bartley J. King or Leonard E. Curran, the part-time environmental sanitarian who retired on May 31 after nearly 40 years of service. King acknowledged that he is only able to maintain a “minimal job” on inspections due to conflicting administrative duties, and reiterated his intent to request a full-time inspector during upcoming budget deliberations.

State law mandates that local health boards conduct inspections of every food establishment at least twice a year. The documents, previously kept confidential, were made public following a formal request by The Patriot Ledger and a ruling from the state Department of Public Records establishing them as public documents. Board members themselves admitted they were previously unaware of the exact inspection tally, having struggled to obtain the records from King.

A sharp division emerged among Board of Health members regarding departmental oversight:

• Chairman Kenneth Webber contended that King possesses both the time and qualifications to conduct regular inspections, stating, “Mr. King has the qualifications and the time to do them, and he is making the money to do them. We do not need another employee.” Webber suggested that King could easily inspect one establishment per day—roughly 20 per month—to cover all 82 businesses semiannually.
• Member Clare A. Swift disagreed, arguing that expecting King to handle inspections single-handedly would force him to neglect other essential duties. “If the job is supposed to be done and we cannot do it adequately, then I think we should take steps to see that it is done,” Swift said, adding that she would support hiring a full-time sanitarian.
• Member Henry P. McAuliffe sided with Webber, expressing surprise at the low inspection volume given that two inspectors were active until Curran’s retirement.

Visibly frustrated by the ongoing friction with Chairman Webber and McAuliffe—whom he accused of harassment—Bartley J. King hinted that he might consider resigning his 37-year post if conditions do not improve. “If I have to put up with much more of it, I just may resign,” King remarked, noting he already works weekends and evenings for the Canton Health Board.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger