This month we witnessed the swearing in of Mayor Stanton and selection of new Vice Mayor Ellen Andeen-Keller. We also saw the year-end campaign finance reports showing the biggest donors to Mayor Stanton’s mayoral campaign were Councilmember Julie Pace ($3,823), her husband, David Selden ($5,102) and Vice Mayor Ellen Andeen-Keller ($5,082), who together contributed $14,007 through “Independent Expenditures."
On Jan. 9, after Mayor Stanton’s swearing in, Julie Pace nominated Ms. Andeen-Keller to be Vice Mayor. There was no second of the nomination, no public comment invited and no opportunity for councilmembers to give their opinions.
What has not been reported is that during February and March 2024, Ms. Andeen-Keller missed all four council meetings and other town meetings, seemingly without proper notice to all town leadership. Councilmembers i spoke with had no idea why she was absent. While I would sympathize with any emergency or difficult situation, in my opinion, not providing proper notice and vacating her position for two months is a dereliction of duty.
If any town volunteer committee member missed four meetings without notice they would be removed just as an employee absent for two months without notice would be terminated, yet our new mayor supported elevating Andeen-Keller to the position of vice mayor without any discussion. Of additional note, Vice Mayor Andeen-Keller also missed four meetings in 2023, which I believe brings her two-year total of eight absences greater than all other councilmembers combined.
Either Mayor Stanton is the new principal of the “Everyone Gets a Participation Trophy” school of leadership or rewarding generous donors to his campaign.
Editor’s note: For clarity, concerning the election of vice mayor, the council was working off a script provided by Town Clerk Duncan Miller and reviewed by the Independent. The process does not require a second or discussion.
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