Political Rift Between Norwood Selectmen and Finance Commission-August 10, 1974

Clash Involves New FinCom Reformers Allan D. Howard and William C. Phipps Facing Off Against Established Officials Led by Selectman William F. Butters Over Budget Powers, Garbage Contract Probes, and Recall Petitions

NORWOOD — As the budget and town meeting season wound down, a widening political rift has emerged between the two municipal boards most intimately involved in Norwood’s financial decision-making: the Board of Selectmen and the Finance Commission (FinCom). Relations between certain members of both bodies have grown increasingly strained following a series of high-stakes clashes over summer youth job funds, town budget preparations, a garbage contract investigation, proposals for a municipal job classification study, and a contentious recall petition targeting Finance Commissioner George Elias.

Behind these specific policy battles lies a deeper struggle over the interpretation of board powers and the political rise of a newly expanded, reform-minded FinCom. The friction has centered primarily between new FinCom members—most notably Allan D. Howard—and established selectmen, specifically William F. Butters. The expansion of the FinCom in January—which added Howard, William C. Phipps, and George Elias—followed years of resistance from selectmen who had previously delayed submitting a home rule charter change to the state legislature. While past relations between the boards were cordial, the new alignment led by Howard and Phipps pushed for aggressive budget cuts and tighter scrutiny of selectmen-controlled departments, producing frequent split votes that pitted them against veteran members like E. Peter Bamber, Joseph R. Adakonis, and Charles L. Rich.

Tensions intensified when Howard and Phipps called for the resignation of fellow commissioner George Elias after Elias began publicly criticizing the FinCom’s budget cuts and boycotted its meetings. Elias, whose South Norwood coffee shop is affectionately known among old-time politicians as “little town hall,” successfully fought off a recall and removal petition driven by petitioner Dominic J. Puopolo. Selectmen Butters, Rich, and Joseph F. Curran voted against setting a date for a recall election, with Curran acknowledging his vote stemmed from friendship with Elias, while Butters argued the petition failed to meet specific town charter requirements. Phipps labeled the selectmen’s intervention “cheap politics,” whereas Butters criticized the new commissioners for attempting to “reform with a hatchet.”

Further disputes erupted when Butters questioned the FinCom’s authority to investigate the health board’s award of a garbage collection contract, labeling the inquiry a “whitewash”—an accusation Howard countered by alleging Butters was politicizing the issue during his campaign for the state legislature. Additional friction arose over the defeat of a $10,000 reserve fund transfer request for a summer youth jobs program, which commissioners initially blocked over administrative concerns before a reduced funding compromise was reached, as well as deadlocks over a comprehensive municipal job classification study. Despite the charged atmosphere of suspicion and conflicting political ambitions—including Howard’s previous run for selectman—members of both boards expressed a determination to iron out their differences as they prepare to collaborate on revised budget formats and future fiscal policies.

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