To the Editor:
I wanted to follow-up on the article written by Stuart Lytle published titled “Is Selectboard becoming Dysfunctional?”. Although balanced, it did not get to the fundamental problem and paints a picture of Georgetown leadership with infighting, public social media attacks on (selectwoman) Ms. Bancroft and the lingering fallout from the $10,000 Stirm report that exposed both the Board of Select Board and Conservation Commission of being bogged down by pathetic drama that can barely function – both boards are crippled by dysfunction.
From stalled policies to neglected town priorities the continued drama only strangles Georgetown’s progress and I will be the first to tell you the Selectboard is currently failing its residents. The root cause of this is not just personality clashes, it is the relentless victimhood, posturing and virtue signaling from members like Bancroft and Repplier who blatantly dodge accountability of their beloved Conservation Commission; they would rather paint themselves as having moral superiority at every opportunity.
That article only highlights how Repplier leveraged a heated email exchange about a resident’s critique of my push for Conservation Commission accountability and oversight and used that as an opportunity to play victim and insisted a third-party be present for our meetings to work on town business like refreshing policies.
She did apologize to me the very next day after the 9/11 ceremony only to then tell the reporter that she does not have the same recollection. Her actions not only illustrated her lack of interest in collaboration but rather performative fragility and signaling virtue to dodge the hard work of governance, accountability and oversight. And if that was not enough, she stopped that last meeting to tell a resident in the audience that she found a shirt being worn to be disrespectful while taking a posture both in that meeting and via email (the next day) to attempt to limit people’s action in the spirit of “respect.”
And Bancroft is worse – much worse.
Dating back to 2018 anyone who she perceives as a threat to the Conservation Commission, she tries to intimidate them either through her conduct at meetings (like the last one) or by filing police reports against them. During her tenure as a member of the Conservation Commission, whenever anyone inquires about potential Conservation Commission misgivings, she obstructs rather than cooperates.
There were significant allegations initially brought up in 2018; in 2022 and in 2023 additional inquiries were performed by the town administrator, and the town voted to hire the Stirm Group to investigate the Conservation Commission. What did Bancroft do each time – rather than disprove any alleged wrongdoing, she filed a police report against them which fits the definition of obstruction. Did I mention that Bancroft signed the former Conservation Commission Agent’s timecards along with allegations of payroll irregularities? The number of police reports that Bancroft has filed against town leadership and members of the community is baffling. Rather than disprove any alleged allegation, she would rather waste taxpayer’s safety resources by filing reports against her perceived threats or enemies resulting in no criminal charges than having them on the street protecting the citizens of this great town.
What I have described is just a snippet of what the dysfunction that the Board of Selectmen have known about and not addressed in the last few years. And when I pressed the issue in a recent meeting, Chairman Hoover, although he acknowledged there was a problem dating back several years, he rather quickly shifted gears to talk about Watergate and how Ford spared Nixon rather than actually fixing the problem – Nothing to see Here folks, move on. He would rather watch Bancroft be elevated from vice chair to chairman of the Conservation Commission. Is this the outstanding accountability we have come to expect from our highest elected and appointed official?
Despite this small snippet of dysfunction, I’m working diligently with the board to craft policies and guardrails to prevent such failures in the future. I ran on stronger oversight for commissions, tighter (financial) controls, and clear ethical standards. Exposing past bad acts, like the Stirm report’s waste of time and money or the Conservation Commission not addressing complaints and sweeping everything under the rug.
This isn’t about settling scores; it’s about showing why these reforms are urgent. We cannot fix what we do not face head-on. Georgetown deserves a Select Board that prioritizes results over drama and what is right for the town rather than keeping their friends happy.
I am committed to bridging divides and delivering policies that protect our town, but residents must demand accountability from those who’d rather play victim than do the work; they should ultimately look out for your best interests.
Let’s rebuild trust together—before this dysfunction defines us.
Sincerely,
Michael W. Donahue
Georgetown Selectman
