Editor:

An open letter to the citizens of Kennebunk –

Recently there have been e-mails circulated about town regarding my behavior toward and treatment of certain individuals before the board of selectmen.

I hope to set the record straight with this communication; I speak only for myself in this, not for the board of selectmen or any other members. 

During the town of Kennebunk budget discussion, vigorous discussions were held with many municipal departments; multiple meetings were held with the town manager and department heads, detailing the severity of the situation with declining revenues and increasing expenses and were told on numerous occasions to expect detailed questioning on their budgets. 

On the evening of Feb. 7, the budget for the parks and recreation department was discussed as the last item of a long agenda. It was preceded by a 25-minute PowerPoint presentation which described the programs of the department. We then launched into a discussion of the requests for next year’s budget. I was particularly dismayed that so many items requested in the summary were simply labeled “same as last year,” given the preparation time and requirements and especially considering previous years’ observations that the parks and recreation budget was less transparent than other departments.   It was decided that the department should return at a later date with fuller explanations as well as a review of the fees charged by the department for its recreation programs. On closing, I made the off-handed comment regarding “pom-poms,” which was in reference to the “form” in which the budget was presented, not to any members, male or female of the parks and recreation commission. We were looking for substance of the budget, not another PowerPoint presentation on activities.

We resumed discussions on Feb. 28 and I was quite pleased with the results presented. It was obvious that more thought had gone into this presentation, including a review of the fee structure for programs and fuel surcharges. We scheduled the final discussion for the regular board of selectmen’s meeting for March 11, once the numbers presented that evening could be revised into a final form.

Imagine my surprise when on March 10, I was informed of an e-mail being circulated about town with the misinformation that “this coming Tuesday evening, the Kennebunk Board of Selectman will vote on whether or not they will take over the parks and recreation department – they would also like full control over the recreation department programming fees as well as have full control over which programs will run.” Of course, none of these statements were ever true and any other board concerns had been resolved at the previous meeting.

When a group that showed up at our next meeting realized that the information was erroneous, they turned to the conduct of the board of selectmen and brought issues to the front, which had not been discussed before. I understood their concern and I personally apologized twice during the meeting to any persons at those meetings where the discussions had become hotter and less civil than some people thought appropriate.

Since that meeting, additional e-mails have circulated regarding my use of the term “pom-poms” in reference to female members of the parks and recreation commission. Again, I would like to make clear to the public that my comment at the original meeting was directed to the “form” versus the “substance” of the original presentation and not to any individuals.

I regret that any misconstruance of my remarks that has caused heartburn for some people and again apologize to those who may have taken offense at what has been attributed to my motives.

Wayne Berry

Kennebunk