Is North Attleboro's town government corrupt?

My opinion would be no, at least not according to the popular definition of the word "corruption." There exists no great conspiracy to fleece the citizens in North, no scheme by individuals or groups to line their pockets at the expense of the hard-working taxpayers of that fine town.

But there does exist a certain "culture of corruption" within the very framework of North Attleboro's political and governmental establishment. North has always taken care of its own, and it seems like many officials and employees operate under an unwritten but well understood code of conduct.

The problems of North's government of late are well documented. From the landfill fiasco, to the betting scandal among town employees, to the misuse of funds by employees in the park and inspection departments, to an ugly town administrator search process, to the Afghan painting stalemate, and ending in the recent embarrassing court case concerning the electric department.

How are these many instances allowed to happen? It is hard to explain to those unfamiliar with small town government, but North's "culture of corruption" starts at the very top and extends downward. It is not an evil kind of corruption, but rather one born of growing too fast too soon and not making the necessary adjustments. It often occurs with a wink and a nod.

Take the hiring of current Town Administrator Mark Fisher.

A former selectman, Fisher was well-liked and respected by his former colleagues. They decided he was going to be hired as the new town administrator - and they were not going to let anything stop that from happening.

The town's bylaws said Fisher did not have the qualifications for the job. That was no problem - the selectmen convinced Town Meeting to change the qualifications. They went through the motions of a search, but any other candidate with half a brain could see they had no real chance.

The fact Fisher's resume listed two of the selectmen as personal references says all you need to know about that search. It dragged on until the majority finally got what they wanted - Fisher.

Did they break any laws? No, but they stretched the limits of credibility and displayed a lack of concern for the appearance of integrity in government. That lesson was not lost on those who serve under them.

Is taking bets on football cards during working hours a bigger deal than what selectmen did? Is taking money paid for copying fees and using it for personal office reasons really worse than rigging a job for someone you know? It does seem so.

But it is not all that big a step away - at least, not to some.

Now to be fair, this situation is not unique to North Attleboro. It occurs every day in communities both large and small across the state and likely across the country. But for some reason, it seems to pop up publicly much more in North.

If North Attleboro wants to get rid of this culture of corruption, it needs to change both the attitude and the perspective of those in government. It needs to make its government more professional and less parochial. It needs to make Town Hall a place of business rather than a place where everyone knows your name. It needs to base hiring practices more on what you know than who you know. It needs to value competency as much as loyalty.

That begins by addressing the system of government.

North Attleboro needs to move to a Town Manager format, and give the position some real teeth and authority. They also need to do away with the representative town meeting system and move to something akin to a town council format. Both moves will give the townspeople better representation and help eliminate the "culture of corruption".

No one wants to make North Attleboro a city, but it is time for the community to admit it has outgrown its current government. The "good old days" have given way to the "good old boy days".

North Attleboro needs to stop trying to remain what it was, and start becoming what it actually is.

BILL GOUVEIA is a local columnist. His column appears every Saturday, and he can be reached at aninsidelook@aol.com.