Maine news, sports, weather | Kennebec Journal, Augusta, Maine

OUR OPINION: Road work process hits rut in Chelsea

In Chelsea, there is a philosophy of road contracting that has put outcomes above process. While this is understandable, the town’s selectmen have lost sight of the great responsibility that comes along with managing public funds, and maintaining public trust.

The chairwoman of the selectmen, Carole Swan, is married to the town’s top road contractor, Marshall Swan. And while Carole vehemently denies ever exerting influence to benefit Marshall, this relationship — and a troublesome emergency project — is causing accusations to fly.

Outcomes are not the problem here.

By all accounts, Marshall Swan Construction is an excellent firm. Before the current issues with culvert replacements along Windsor Road, none around Chelsea could recall a time when Swan’s work for the town was called into question.

The problem is Swan’s apparent ease in garnering lucrative town contracts, Carole Swan’s influential position in the town, and the void of checks and balances within town administration to ensure — for the public — that ethical and proper procedures for awarding road contracts are being followed.

In short, it looks as if something is wrong. And this perception should force the town to act, to streamline the process for road contracting and excise decision-making from the selectmen and into the hands of a qualified, independent official.

Chelsea should have an elected road commissioner, who handles the bidding specifications and contract awarding on behalf of the town. The current town system — a joint commissioner and town manager — is flawed, as it demands a set of skills in one position better suited for two.

Other rumored methods, such as a point system for contractors, seem needlessly complex. What Chelsea needs is accountability for its contracts, not new formulas for deciding them. If there is pressure to award bids one way or another, only a person — not points — will stand up to it.

During a meeting last week, selectmen tabled road contracts because of concerns  about procedure. While caution was warranted, the work must be done. The town cannot be paralyzed in its decision-making; this is Maine, and autumn is nearly upon us. The window for completing projects is getting smaller.

Delaying road projects punishes nobody but residents of Chelsea, by either putting off necessary work or making the same job more expensive by failing to act when appropriate.

We urge selectmen to act decisively, by appointing an interim road commissioner to follow through with the current year’s work, then holding an election for the job at next year’s Town Meeting. This should restore confidence in the short term, and allow candidates to step forward.

The lesson here for Chelsea is that it’s not enough to get the job done. It must be done right, as well, because a breakdown in public trust is far worse than a shoddy culvert job.

Fixing the system now should ensure neither happens in the future.

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