Resignation from Provincetown Finance Committee sheds light on on-going tension on town board – Wicked Local

Alex Darus| Banner Correspondent

PROVINCETOWN A Finance Committee member has resigned from her position after criticizing the board leadership for ignoring basic norms of good local governance.

The criticism comes alongside a public focus in recent months on Finance Committee Chairman Mark Hatchs alleged social media posts on his private accounts demeaning members of the public.

Cultivating a culture of silence within a committee is a recipe for dysfunctionality, committee member Dorie Seavey wrote in her Nov. 19 resignation letter sent to the committee and Town Moderator Mary-Jo Avellar, who appoints committee members.

Seavy, who is a social impact consultant and community activist with a Ph.D. in economics, alleges that Hatch has not followed procedures put in place for the committee, a shortfall she says is ultimately leading to public distrust.

Ive watched the reputation of the committee sink in the public eye; it really has concerned me, Seavey said to the Banner in a phone interview Nov. 25.

The tipping point for Seavey came after she tried to raise two issues during a Nov. 17 committee meeting one, that the committee had not voted in new officers as required yearly by the town charter and, two, that in her 18 months on the board they had not reviewed the code of conduct policy, which states it must be reviewed annually.

For Seavy, the lack of review of the code of conduct, in particular, comes at a time when the public and the press have expressed deep concern regarding the social media conduct of Hatch himself, her letter states.

Hatch, who has chaired the all-volunteer committee five out of the six years he has been a member, did not return a call from the Banner on Monday, and has not returned previous calls as well.

The primary role of the nine-person committee is to provide independent recommendations to town meeting voters separate from the Select Board and town administrators on any proposed financial matters.

Hatch has faced criticism from others about alleged social media activity. Resident Laura Rood claims Hatch has violated the town charter and the Finance Committee's own code of conduct with misogynistic, racist, anti-Semitic, insulting and degrading posts on social media, according to her June 10 complaint to the Select Board.

Residents Robert Small-Jason and Stephanie Page want Hatch removed from the committee.

His online vulgarities and misogynistic remarks to members of the community need to see him removed from his board position, Small-Jason said in his June 8 email to the Select Board.

In her June 11 complaint to the Select Board and Avellar, Page called for Hatch to be removed from the board as well. Page alleges that Hatch uses a blocking mechanism on Facebook to avoid anyone who is a target of his remarks from seeing the information.

Further, this past summer part-time resident Alan Roth distributed fliers critical of Avellars hands-off approach with Hatch by standing outside of Bubulas By the Bay restaurant, where she works. The fliers referred to her as the Donald Trump of Provincetown and advised those planning to eat at Bubalas to be asked to be seated by someone else.

Avellar, in response to the complaints about Hatchs social media use, maintains that private comments on social media are free speech, and that she is not in the business of censoring anyone.

For Seavey, though, there has been a struggle to raise objections and issues.

In recent months, she said she asked Hatch to make both the election of officers and the code of conduct review agenda items for the board to consider. However, she said those requests were denied, which is why at the end of the Nov. 17 meeting, Seavey said she tried to raise the issues as general points of order, particularly after the Select Board had recently taken up the idea of a code of conduct for other town boards.

However, she said she was cut off by Hatch before she could finish her statement, at the moment when the meeting was about to go over its one-hour limit.

I was not inspired by the Select Board. I told you Dorie that will not be on an agenda. You requested it, I denied you. Thats that, Hatch said, based on a recorded version of the Nov. 17 meeting.

On the same day Seavey sent her resignation, on Nov. 19, Hatch sent out an email to the committee saying that elections will be addressed at the next Finance Committee meeting, she said.

Im glad if it does but it sure took a long time, Seavey said.

Denying agenda items, in Seaveys experience, has also been an issue with Hatch as the chairman.

Agendas are designed to serve the entire committee, Seavey said to the Banner.

For months, the committee has been mired in a question of whether to allow part-time residents, or nonresidents, to be appointed as alternate members, as allowed by the town charter. In March, the towns Charter Compliance Commission determined that the Finance Committee and the town moderator did not violate the charter by refusing to appoint a part-time resident.

In an effort to help improve the reputation of the Finance Committee, Seavey says she requested an agenda item in August proposing to work with the town moderator to improve the process for selecting members of committee, a request she alleges was denied by Hatch.

Seavey said she then requested an agenda item to consider improving the description of the existing selection process to help with confusion, which was also allegedly refused.

I find it nothing less than preposterous that this committee could meet roughly a dozen times over the last year and never once address the enormous confusion, Seavey said.

In her letter of resignation, Seavey also alleges that the letter submitted on behalf of the Finance Committee to September 2020 town meeting voters was never reviewed by the committee. In this case, she claims Hatch abused his authority.

While Hatch has kept quiet when asked for comment by the Banner, Finance Committee member Mark Del Franco said at a Nov. 23 Select Board, during public statements, that Seaveys complaints were part of a tension on the board that he did not understand.

It had a lot to do with the board member refusing to follow procedure and not liking being called out on it, Del Franco said. Others making complaints against the Finance Committee have no legal basis and are attempting to smear anyone who disagrees with those making the complaints, Del Franco said.

These are all volunteer and good people, Del Franco said of the committee, adding that dissenters give legal cover to nutcases, giving the example of Roth protesting at Avellars place of work.

Seavey, in turn, says she was taken aback by Del Francos comments because she said it is Hatchs policy that committee members need to have public comments cleared in advance.

Back in February, Seavey was the only member of the Finance Committee who was open to considering the application from a part-time resident to serve as an alternate. At the time, the majority opinion was that the town charter should be changed to align the Finance Committee with other regulatory boards and the Select Board, which would disqualify part-time residents from serving.

Seaveys resignation, she said, has everything to do with procedures not being followed.

Its not about getting part-timers on the committee, its not about challenging the moderators authority, its really about our responsibility to have good committee governance to therefore give people a reason to trust us, she said.

In light of Seaveys resignation, Avellar said she is bothered by townspeople who cannot agree to disagree about situations.

I feel sorry that shes taken this course because she was a good and valued member, I believe, even if people didnt agree with her, Avellar said.

Avellar stands with her belief that censorship is wrong.

I'm just not going to get rid of people because I dont like what they say or I don't agree with them, Avellar said. And if people want to vote me out of office, its their right to do so.

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Resignation from Provincetown Finance Committee sheds light on on-going tension on town board - Wicked Local