Newly Elected FinCom Member Norman E. Rickard Pledges Independence-October 26, 1978

Norman E. Rickard Pledges Independence After Missing First Meeting Due to Communication Mix-Up

Newly elected Finance Commissioner Norman E. Rickard stated in an interview that he intends to “vote in the best interests of the town” and remain entirely independent of existing board factions. Rickard, a 50-year-old certified public accountant who won his seat in Tuesday’s special election, commented on past voting patterns where Chairman William F. Collins, member Joseph R. Adakonis, and former commissioner E. Peter Bamber frequently formed a three-member majority.

Rickard missed his first scheduled Finance Commission session due to a communication misunderstanding, noting that he had not been officially notified of the meeting or the swearing-in procedure by town officials. While Chairman Collins admitted he failed to directly notify Rickard of the date—assuming the newcomer would attend to be sworn in by Town Clerk Bartley Connolly—Rickard expressed regret over the rocky start and promised to make up for it. Reflecting on his decision to run, Rickard noted he had previously sought a FinCom seat 12 years prior but held off until now because he felt uninspired by the current candidate pool.

Finance Commission Rejects $12,200 Consultant Study and Land Appraisal

In its official business session, the Finance Commission unanimously voted to reject a request for a $12,200 reserve fund transfer that would have funded an outside engineering consultant’s study of drainage and environmental problems in the Sumner-Union Street area. The study was previously recommended in September by the Board of Selectmen following persistent resident complaints regarding conditions near Richard Saccone’s Grandview Developments.

In a related 2-2 split vote, the commission also rejected a $250 transfer request for an appraisal of six acres of undeveloped land in the same neighborhood—property owned by Saccone considered to be the prospective site for a long-awaited Sumner-Union Street recreational facility. Opponents of the funding, including Chairman Collins and member Adakonis, argued that a June town meeting had explicitly mandated that such studies be conducted by existing town personnel to avoid unnecessary consultant fees. Commission members aligned with resident Kenneth Ball, a Union Street homeowner who attended the meeting, in charging that the selectmen were merely “passing the buck” regarding the neighborhood’s recreational and drainage woes.

Division Over Special Counsel and Audit Bidding

The commission also sparred over seeking legal guidance regarding former registrar A. Franklin Swift. Finance Commissioner Joseph R. Adakonis voiced strong opposition to a previous 2-1 vote seeking advice from special counsel Douglas Randall of Quincy on whether the town could legally force Swift to reimburse his $800 annual salary following conflict-of-charge allegations raised by Kenneth Ball. Adakonis argued that pursuing salary repayment would violate the town charter, while Collins acknowledged procedural flaws in the initial vote but maintained the board should finish what it started.

Additionally, FinCom members voted to resolicit bids from four accounting firms for a comprehensive town revenue audit. While federal revenue-sharing regulations mandate an audit every three years, the commission decided to focus the audit on the current 1979 fiscal year rather than fiscal 1978.

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