Youth Commission Seeks Meeting To Discuss Disputed Appointment-July 10, 1975

The commission ultimately determined that the most prudent course of action would be to request a private executive session meeting with the Board of Selectmen to discuss the disputed appointment. The vacancy originally arose following the resignation of the commission’s former chairman, Dr. Paul E. Jansen. In March, the commission acted in accordance with its established guidelines and formally recommended Stuart Plumer to fill the open position. Plumer, an attorney who served as the president of the junior high north PTA, was also the former chairman of the town’s defunct human rights committee and had publicly clashed with selectmen several years prior over his support for the Metco program.

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Although the selectmen never cast an official vote to reject Plumer’s nomination, they signaled their non-approval by failing to confirm him. Instead, early last month, the selectmen voted to appoint Barry Quinlan to the commission. Quinlan, who serves as the president of the Babe Ruth League and remains active in the local PTA, was personally asked to serve by Selectman Joseph W. Wall. Commission Chairman Judith Gormley noted last night that this unilateral appointment bypassed the commission’s own bylaws, which dictate that selectmen are supposed to act directly upon the commission’s recommendations when making new appointments. Furthermore, Quinlan’s resume was not transmitted to the youth commission until after the selectmen had already voted to appoint him. Ms. Gormley argued that by soliciting a single individual rather than opening the post to other interested residents, the selectmen failed to make allowances for broader community participation.

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During the meeting, Ms. Gormley informed the board that she had received a copy of an official letter sent to Quinlan requesting that he come to the town hall to be sworn in as a commission member. While the commission voted to seek an executive session to ask for official direction on how to proceed, members explicitly noted that they held no personal dissatisfaction with Quinlan himself, nor did they discuss his qualifications or resume during the session. Member Roderick Smith strongly advised against initiating an open conflict with the town’s executive board, stating, “With a confrontation both groups will lose”. Member Domenic Fruci concurred with this cautious approach, adding, “I don’t think we can buck the selectmen and come out a winner”. In separate action during the same meeting, member John Ahearn outlined his preliminary plans to organize upcoming Bicentennial activities for local youth, noting that he intends to consult with Bicentennial committee member Gerald Miller before reporting back to the commission with formalized program proposals.

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