At the July 11 special workshop, the New Gloucester selectmen could have saved themselves time by immediately accepting the idea that Chairman Steve Libby revealed at the outset — sending a very broad query to all the town committees for their ideas on the subject of committee appointments, to be reviewed by selectmen sometime in September.

While it sounds good, the move actually allowed Libby to entirely sidestep the idea, brought up by Josh McHenry, that selectmen should recuse themselves when a prospective appointee is related by family, friendship or professional connections. And also the ideas, presented repeatedly by Mark Stevens, that the process should be consistent across committees, and that there be a requirement of an in-person introduction of each applicant.

The process, such as it is, has deteriorated through the past several years into one in which no one need actually appear before the selectmen, experience or qualifications are not discussed, and the selectmen end up applying unexplained notions of “fairness,” “new blood” or, conversely, “experience” to their decisions to appoint incumbent friends/like-minded when it matters.

I predict that when the feedback is in, the selectmen will adopt the status quo on a 3-to-2 vote.

Penny Hilton, New Gloucester