Norman Khumalo has done a fantastic job in Hopkinton for over a decade. His dedication and passion for excellence is second to none. Should he accept a new position he will be missed! His collaboration and focus with several strong Select Boards has propelled Hopkinton forward.
Unfortunately this is yet another significant loss for the community under the current Select Board’s watch. Their inability to retain key personnel, including numerous public safety employees, must be addressed immediately. If not, the town will soon be adrift like a ship without a rudder. The current Select Board’s lack of vision for our future, based on our local needs, continues to erode our collective potential. We need a board that understands when it comes to Hopkinton’s future, it all starts here!
— John Coutinho, Hopkinton (candidate for Select Board)
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We need to celebrate people’s accomplishments, understand that folks don’t sign onto positions for a life anymore. The days of 30-40+ years at the same position have long passed.
If Mr. Kumolo is offered a position with a city this year, in the future and one can also assume he has also looked at other career opportunities over past decade as well. An individual wanting personal career growth, career advancement, personal challenges doesn’t diminish current and past Select Board members who are part time volunteers to help guide governance as the Town Manager leads the mission of our town charter and strategic plans. It shows Hopkinton invested in a desirable candidate that was made in part by a current Select Board member, Muriel Kramer who at the time was a Selectman and on the hiring committee years ago played in hiring our current town manager. A potential advancement to a city with nearly double our population is a “wow”. Yes a loss if he is offered and accepts this new role but also deserving of congratulations especially how Hopkinton strives for excellence with accolades statewide, Hopkinton that has led the way the last two years during a global pandemic from vaccinations, continued growth, recognitions in high achieving schools and among the safest places to live.
Wow, JC! Seriously? He told me right to my face the other night that he was being “nice.” Well, his definition of “nice” certainly isn’t the same as mine. What an awful way to run a campaign, by bashing the the very same board that he thinks he has a chance of sitting with. Any respect I had for him is gone. I really hope that any of his constituents will be thinking twice now.
JC may need to read Matthew 7:3-5, not sure if he recalls a tremendous amount of turnover in town hall, fire, police and school departments when he was previously on Select Board (SB). SB members bring core talents and experiences to the table to help govern the town and have oversight on issues. JC has construction, facilities management, real estate, planning skills and firearm instructor skills all notable, none of which are core to foster staff development, personnel recruitment and employee transition strategies. SB members do pick and choose different committees that they play liaison roles to, often picking ones they feel most aligned to, and JC has never been the liaison to the personnel committee.
Using this logic, it indicates that the reason people accept promotions is because they have issues with their supervisor. That’s a stretch.