To the Editor:

As Wilton’s oldest living former selectman and an old man now, I don’t spend much time thinking about the future, but I’ll be danged if I am going to watch dysfunctional boards of selectmen in recent years continue to ignore our heritage, and to discourage good citizens from running for positions in our town government with their lack of transparency in decisionmaking that is a stain on the leadership of all previous boards.

Now, I find myself worrying about the future of my beloved town more than ever.

I may be just an over-the-hill old man and perhaps not as smart as some board members believe they are, but I care about my town of Wilton. Do I have all the answers? No, of course not. In fact, I have more questions than answers, but I do recognize the past is gone and the future of Wilton boards is all that is left to preserve our proud form of town government for all the people and recording the events of our town for future generations.

As long as I am physically and mentally capable, I will continue to ask the good people of my town to allow me to express a few thoughts gained through my interest in our town’s history that began when John Badger became the first person to set foot in Wilton in 1737, and my interest in our Boards of Selectmen welcoming all citizens to join them rather than continuing to ignore Sunshine Laws, enact changes in our town positions without the consent or comment of our residents and conduct the town business totally lacking transparency.

Restructuring town positions as in the position of town road agent to director of Public Works without the comment or consent of voters at the annual Town Meeting reflects a prime example of these kinds of shenanigans. This begs the question of the need or propriety of this action, or is it an effort to expand the position, leading to the possibility of a position as an unqualified town manager? It is time for the voters of Wilton to return this position to where it belongs as the town road agent until the voters can comment and vote on this action at the annual Town Meeting.

In order to change the past few years of fuzzy, complex and at times clandestine actions, my beloved town of Wilton needs someone willing to represent all of our residents, perhaps introducing a new concept of having 2-to-1 votes that represent all of the residents, and working to cut through the fog and lack of transparency like a beacon serving as a bright point of focus that will honor the leadership of past town officials and preserves our history.

Fortunately, the voters of Wilton have that candidate for the two-year term on the Board of Selectmen, Ms. Kellie-Sue Boissonnault, who will have the opportunity to become a change agent working with Selectman Kermit Williams in creating a new Town Hall environment in the Office of Selectmen.

As a final thought, simplicity is the watchword for being an effective member of the Board of Selectmen, with the key being to narrow the ambitions of any town official seeking to build a dynasty leading to any position they are unqualified for. The lack of common sense and fairness in making decisions that impact all residents can make some folks in today’s environment lacking in both management and people skills.

Francis Gros Louis

Leesburg, Va.