FRIENDS AND THE LIBRARY

THE LIBRARY EXPANSION

Katie Buckley, Sheila Morse, Anne Rider and Isaac Wagner were all members of the nonprofit, Friends of Algiers Village, when Guilford Selectboard Chairman Richard Wizansky (Wiz) was attempting to secure 1.3 million for the library he was also the Treasurer of.

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Katie Buckley was a Director of the "Friends" and was appointed by Selectboard member Anne Rider (President of the Friends) to become Guilford's first ever Town Administrator.

Katie resigned from her role as Town Administrator to become Commissioner of the Department of Housing and Community Development where she met with Wiz to discuss grant options for a potential Guilford Library expansion. Following Katie's resignation, Peder Rude was appointed as Guilford's second Town Administrator. 

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In August of 2019, Isaac Wagner was the Principal Officer of the Friends when he petitioned the Selectboard to bypass Guilford’s Town Purchasing Policy. Isaac suggeated they utilize the federal standard of a “micro-purchase” for this "tiny little library addition." (Isaac starts talking at 54:45 of this meeting. The Selectboard authorized this “micro-purchase” for the library feasibility study, not to exceed $10,000)

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After Isaac finishes talking about the tiny little libray project, Gordon Little steps in.

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Gordon states at 1:03:30: “I’d like to make a motion that the Selectboard, in this instance, follow the federal procurement process for a micro-purchase up to 10k for the library project.” This motion bypassed Guilford's Purchasing Policy.

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At 1:03:40 Selectboard member Wizansky responds: “Can it be worded so that we would, I mean it’s not as if we will, it’s that we will consider really, because it might not work out.”

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Since Richard was speaking as a Trustee of the library, not a selectboard member, the Town Administrator, Peder Rude, points directly at him and states: “I hate to be a stickler, but technically you shouldn’t be discussing this motion.”

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Wizansky then stopped talking and recused himself from the vote. Shortly after the vote passed, at 1:05:00, Isaac Wagner looks at Richard, gives him two thumbs up, and says “we’re good Richard, don’t stress Richard.” The Selectboard's grant approval secured business for Isaac's company, Wagner Consulting, and started the money rolling for Wiz and the library.

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This was just one example where Wiz was required to abstain from discussing motions concerning the library as a selectboard Member and Trustee of the library, but there are several more documented occasions:

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- At 13:30 of this meeting Richard was required to recuse himself because the library was asking the selectboard to apply for the original federal grant. Richard’s recusal made it so there wasn’t a quorum, and the topic had to be tabled until the next meeting.

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- At 1:16:45 of this meeting Wizansky states: “I recuse myself due to the fact that I am a trustee of the Guilford Free Library.”​ ​

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The precedent of recusal was clearly set however, when Richard became Chairman of the Selectboard and Treasurer of the library, he and Town Administrator Rude ignored that practice entirely.

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Shortly after Wiz became Chairman, he held a private meeting with Peder Rude, Isaac Wagner and the Vermont Bond Bank, attempting to secure $195,000 from Guilford's Waterline Fund for the library.

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Following that private meeting, on January 10th 2022, Peder Rude reads a resolution being put before the residents of Guilford about a library expansion here at 29:00. At the 30:30 mark, Richard asks for a motion on the floor for the resolution; Michael Becker makes the motion.

Richard then asks for a second, but no one responds. So, Wiz seconds the motion himself and later votes in favor of it. 

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The Citizens of Guilford initially approved the library expansion but residnets drove a petition to reconsider it. The reconsideration vote failed and the original Yes vote was overturned.

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While the library reconsideration vote was transpiring, residents of Guilford took notice of the Conflict-of-Interest Wiz had as the Selectboard Chairman and the Treasurer of the Guilford Library. They pointed specifically to Guilford’s Conflict of Interest Policy which was drafted by Wiz and the Selectboard Chair, Sheila Morse in 2018.

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Guilford residents were not concerned that Richard held both offices because Rude had been enforcing Wiz's recusals when appropriate. However, when Richard boldly used his influence as Chairman to solicit public funds for a Library he was now the Treasurer of, residents took notice.

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Due to Wizansky's now very public conflict with the Library, at the Selectboard's next reorganizational meeting, Wiz motioned for Zon Eastes to replace him as the Chair of the Selectboard.​

Just prior to Zon's Chairmanship, Peder Rude was asked for the last five years of Wizansky’s Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statements and gave a cost to Jason Herron to retrieve those documents. 

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​Peder was then suddenly diagnosed with a "grave health issue" and stopped all communications with Herron but maintained communications with selectboard members, the Town Clerk/Treasurer, Assistant Town Clerk, other residents of Guilford. He also communicated regulary with the Interim Town Administrator, Sheila Morse, who was appointed to assist Peder following his diagnosis.

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Chairman Eastes first motioned for Sheila to become Guilford’s Assistant Town Administrator to help because of Peder Rude’s Grave Health. Later, Zon motioned for Sheila to replace Rude entirely as the Interim Town Administrator and stated that “Peder’s resignation allows him to explore other opportunities.”

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One of Peder’s “other opportunities” is now collaborating with Isaac Wagner's company,  Wagner Development Partners, under the name North Hill Solutions.

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Zon, now acting as a new Chairman, subsequently attempted to persuade the residents of Guilford that Wizansky never had a Conflict to begin. Zon claimed that Guilford's former attorney, and the newly hired law firm,  Believed that Rude was wrong to enforce Richard's recusals, but Zon would not or could not provide any proof that would confirm his statements.

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Zon then claimed that Wizansky's Conflict of Interest disclosure statements “were not required to be maintained by the Town.” Herron challenged that statement all the way to VT’s Supreme Court, but his appeal was dismissed on a procedural discrepancy.

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Due to his relationship with Wizansky, Isaac Wagner was also under a spotlight and stepped down as Principal Officer to the Friends of Algiers. Wagner was replaced by Sheila Morse as the Principal Officer even though Sheila was already the Treasurer for the Friends.​

So, Morse replaced both Rude as Town Administrator and Wagner as Principal Officer while maintaining her positions as Treasurer of the Friends and Chair of Guilford’s Finance Advisory Committee.

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Morse then redacted information from a legal invoice concerning the “Library Addition.” When Sheila and Zon were confronted by Herron, Sheila stated that she redacted the information "on behalf of the selectboard," but the board never met.

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Morse was then asked when the board authorized her to redact that public information. That is when Katie Buckley (Director of the Friends) anonymously drafted Sheila’s response. Katie was the Director of the Federal Funding Assistance Program at the Vermont League of Cities and Towns (VLCT)

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Guilford pays its insurance to the VLCT, and part of those services provide Selectboard members and Public Officials legal advice. Morse claimed she contacted the VLCT for her legal response, but Katie drafted it, not a VLCT lawyer.

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Zon was then challenged for violating Vermont’s Open Meeting Laws when he acted without the selectboard’s Joint Authority by instructing Morse to redact public information concerning the “Library Addition" outside of an Open Meeting. Again, the appeal was dismissed by the VT Supreme Court.​

Unbeknownst to most residents in Guilford, the selectboard had been leveraging Guilford’s Capital Fund for services pertaining to the potential library addition. These services included feasibility studies, renderings, and an archaeological dig for the library expansion. 

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Every dollar the Board approved for a Library feasibility study, that was backed by money from the Capital Fund, meant there would be a neglected item on the schedule of maintenance to one of Guilford’s capital assets. Please read Friends and the Capital Fund

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When Guilford voters didn’t approve the library expansion, those feasibility studies, etc. could not be considered part of a Capital Improvement because there will be no capital improved. The library bills could not be paid using the Capital Fund.

​When the Capital Program and Budget Policy was drafted and accepted, Anne Rider (President of the Friends) was the Selectboard Chair, and Sheila Morse (Principal Officer/Treasurer of the Friends) was a selectboard member. Following the adoption of the policy Anne resigned in the middle of her term as the Chair and endorsed Sheila to replace her.

​Sheila then drafted the Reserve Fund Policy as Selectboard Chair before resigning in the middle of her term. That is when Zon was appointed to fill Sheila's vacancy and Wizansky became Chair.

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Shortly after Sheila resigned as Chair of the Selectboard, she was appointed to Guilford’s first ever Finance Advisory Committee by Wiz and Zon. Sheila has been the Chair of that board since its inception. Sheila Morse is the only person in Guilford who has a detailed understanding of Guilford’s finances.

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The reserve policy states that “Any expenditure of the reserve fund by the Selectboard (…) shall require approval of a majority of Selectboard members after due notice and a public hearing.”

Instead of offering “Due Notice” and a “Public Hearing,” Sheila, acting as the Town Administrator, (Peder Rude has "grave health issue) worded a regular selectboard meeting agenda as “Report on Funds.”

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Begining at 1:01:30, Instead of giving a “Report on Funds,” Sheila read the motion to remove almost $100k from Guilford’s reserve. Zon, acting as the chairman of the selectboard, then made the motion “as read by Sheila.” 

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This topic took about 40 minutes from start to finish. During that time, Dolores Clark and Tammy Sargent (See Appointment of Auditor) questioned these transfers. Jason Herron then contested this action formally and made some suggestions to the board. This is a portion of Zon’s reply:

“The language, read with today’s eyes (just ten years later), suggests the very recommendations you are making now.

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In speaking with a signer to the policy, (Sheila Morse) however, it is not clear that this ‘today’ reading was intended then. (Words, meanings, intentions do indeed change over time.)

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I agree with you that this policy, or any, should be written to express the clearest intention of the Selectboard. —Zon

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Both policies have since been rewritten and now neither serve their original purposes.​