Haley hasn't been the only elected official to complain about the charter change, which requires some officials elected to 4-year terms in 2009 to seek re-election in 2011.
PALMER – James J. Haley Jr. did not take out nomination papers to keep his position on the Planning Board by Thursday’s deadline, but not because he wants to leave the board.
“As far as I’m concerned I’m still on a four-year term,” Haley said. “I’m disgusted by the whole thing I really am.”
Haley said he does not feel that he should have to take out papers because he was re-elected in November 2009 for another four years.
Even though the voters approved a charter change back in November that moved the annual election from November to June, he feels that the current terms should be honored, and that he also should have been notified that he had to take out papers to run again.
“Nobody emailed me. Nobody informed me that I have to run for the Planning Board,” Haley said. “I did not hear any official notification whatsoever that my job has been eliminated. You would think after 20 years on the job they would at least give me that courtesy.”
Haley said he was not notified by the town clerk, the town manager or the Town Council that he would have to run again to retain his longtime seat.
Town Clerk Patricia C. Donovan and Acting Town Manager Patricia A. Kennedy said they never notify candidates personally that they have to take out nomination papers.
Donovan sends notices to the local newspapers about deadlines for nomination papers, and added that copies of the proposed charter changes were sent to every household before the election.
Donovan said Haley is not the only elected official who has complained about the change, but everyone else who wanted to keep their positions took out papers and followed the process.
Said Kennedy, “We do not baby-sit. As an elected official, it’s your job to find these things out. It’s your job to be up on these things.”
Paul E. Burns, an at-large town councilor and former Charter Commission chairman, said he sympathizes with Haley, as he also has to run for reelection, but he said the charter change was a public process.
“It’s been very public from the day we started,” Burns said.
Haley said while he did hear secondhand about the June election, he still feels that the Town Council should have at least sent him a letter, as the councilors are the ones running the town.
“It’s hard to find people to volunteer. You don’t just step into a Planning Board position and know what you’re doing. What if the entire Planning Board was defeated? What would happen? Nobody would know what was going on,” Haley said.
Even though he missed the deadline, he could still run for the Planning Board as a write-in candidate.
Donovan reported that Veterans Agent Mark A. Avis took out papers for Planning Board, as did Kathleen Burns, and Planning Board Chairman Michael E. Marciniec returned his. Planning Board incumbents Thomas Skowrya and Norman A. Czech took out papers, along with clerk Andrew Golas.
Candidates have until Tuesday afternoon to return their nomination papers to appear on the June 14 annual election ballot.