OXFORD — The town Recreation Committee discussed proposed changes to the bylaws at a special workshop Thursday with the Board of Selectmen.

The committee is down to four members. Chairwoman Pam Lovely said Gary Smith recently resigned.

Smith’s term had ended and he was up for reappointment. He had filed papers for reappointment, but at the July 19 selectmen’s meeting the board didn’t address appointments for the Recreation Committee.

At that meeting, Town Manager Michael Chammings cited a need to discuss changes to the committee’s bylaws before any reappointments.

Smith was accused of firing a Little League coach and calling children on the team “worthless” at a June 20 baseball game, but he denied the allegations.

At the July 5 meeting of selectmen, the board and Chammings spoke to Smith in a lengthy executive session. Smith quickly left the meeting after about half an hour. The executive session continued for several minutes afterward. The board took no action.

At Wednesday’s workshop, Lovely said the loss of Smith would be hard for the committee. “There’s going to be a huge void here,” she told the board.

The committee and selectmen discussed the need to attract members to the committee, which has a maximum of 12 members. One of the proposed changes was to have 11 members. Chammings recommended keeping the board at an odd number to prevent tie votes.

The committee also discussed requiring that committee members be Oxford residents, which currently isn’t required. They agreed to that change.

The committee and board took no action at Wednesday’s workshop. Selectmen can vote on changes to the bylaws at a future meeting.

treaves@sunjournal.com

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