Last week I read something about the police being placed on alert in case a fistfight broke out at the next Windham Town Council meeting so I figured I would make an effort to see what all this fuss was about.

I was told there was a classic example of the problem posted on You Tube. I had to view the clips of the Dec. 11 meeting several times just to figure out who was who and who said what. Kaile Warren is easily identified by his distinctive hairstyle. Blaine Davis is on the end wearing a neck brace with Donna Chapman on his right. The beleaguered Bob Muir is the gentleman in the middle, next to Liz Wisecup, who keeps rubbing his eyes in exasperation. Bob and Liz have been doing this Town Council gig for a while and know the drill of getting the town’s business done.

Warren, Davis and Chapman are all FNEWGYs who rode onto the council on the same horse last fall. They promised to nitpick any proposals that cost Windham taxpayers money, common sense be damned.

Unfortunately this Gang of Three came to the council with no table manners. Like 5 year olds with no sense of when to speak and when to listen, they launch the verbal equivalent of food fights every time the adults try to have an intelligent discussion. Kaile Warren formed Rent-A-Husband about 10 years ago and his national name recognition now qualifies him as an expert in everything, at least in his mind. The tagline for his company is “for those jobs that never get done” and he is making sure that the Windham Town Council never gets their job done.

Let’s take the Dec. 11 meeting for example. There is a straightforward proposal on the table. The Public Works Department is in need of a new one-ton pick up with plowing capabilities to help maintain the roads. One of the fleet currently has a frame like Swiss cheese and needs to be taken offline. An RFP was put out to local dealers to prevent any back room deals in exchange for favors. Eight local dealers responded and the best deal amounted to around $32,000.

Warren had an objection. He stated that if Doug //add last name//, the head of Public Works, shopped around and “did his homework” he could probably find a used pick up truck for $14,000, saving Windham taxpayers $20,000. Warren pretty much assumed that Doug had not done his homework and insinuated that Doug does not know his job. Warren’s two compadres agreed and insisted the purchase be delayed.

At this point Bob Muir had had enough. The truck was needed for snow removal, this was December after all, and the Public Works Department had done everything they needed to do to get the truck. This all seemed like an unnecessary delay of one month. He also did not care for Warren’s condescending tone. Where exactly did Warren think that he could find the town a one-ton pick up with a plow for $14,000?

Warren backpedaled when he was asked for specifics on his hypothetical bargain and got defensive claiming he never said that he could find such a vehicle.

It was just an idea that came to him during the meeting and he reserved his first amendment right to say whatever crosses his mind in meetings. I guess we can expect remarks like “I could have had a V8!” or “Someday we will all have jetpacks!” at future meetings. Chapman kept referring to the bargains she and her friends got online, suggesting that we should run any future purchases for the town through CraigsList first. Or maybe Marden’s. Davis whined about how people can write whatever they want no matter how ignorant or mistaken in their facts they are and besides he doesn’t have time to check out trucks and he works three jobs and Muir was not the boss of him and could not require him to do homework or anything.

The meeting had to go into private sessions, presumably before a concerned citizen felt it necessary to call the police.