Citizens Continue To Question Town Admin Absence

There are currently no answers to the many questions Amherst citizens have about the suspension of their town administrator, but that isn’t stopping them from asking.

Mark Vincent, spokesman for the Amherst Citizens Association, confronted Amherst selectmen on the absence of Jim O’Mara, who has been on administrative leave since Dec. 5.

“What could Jim have done to justify such drastic action,” asked Vincent at their meeting on Monday. “There has been no explanation given.”

Selectmen and other town employees have been unable to comment on why O’Mara was suspended, or when he may return to his duties. The only official response from selectmen is that this is a “personnel matter” and there would be no comment.

There is no record of selectmen taking a vote on this decision, according to Vincent.

“This prevents transparency that is so critical for public trust in government,” he said.

His group wants to know whether his suspension has to do with one of the issues that have come to light in recent months. This includes $11.5 million in adjustments to the town’s books after an audit had been completed, or $150,000 for a new truck in the default budget. The minutes show that a $150,000 check was written during the processing of the lease-purchase agreement.

Vincent stressed that the voters need to know if this situation will affect taxpayers or town services. This is especially true since it is budget season and the town administrator is “critical” to the process, which may cause voters to lose faith in their local government’s decisions.

“The worst possible outcome is that lack of transparency in our town government leads to the cynicism that leaves voters home on election day,” said Vincent. “Provide the answers to the questions on the minds of so many people in town.”

Jonathan Prew of Amherst also questioned the status of O’Mara at Monday’s meeting during a confrontation with selectmen about his issues with the Mack Hill Road reconstruction.

Others are calling for patience as the town deals with what is obviously a sensitive legal situation. Bill Overholt said that he, as a former selectman for 15 years, has been in a similar situation where he had been unable to comment while a town employee was in a legal situation. An investigation had revealed that former Amherst town administrator Dana Crowell had embezzled $40,000 from taxpayers.

“We have to be a little patient and understand the position the board is in,” said Overholt.

O'Mara assumed his role as town administrator in fall 2011 after serving as the chairman of the Amherst selectmen. He had left his job as superintendent of the Hillsborough County Department of Corrections.