Where is Longton?
It was another small agenda for a Berkley Board of Selectmen that looks like it’s trying to hide out from the heat this summer with another in a series of morning meetings.
Notable was that Selectman Bob Longton participated via Zoom. We’re not sure how he managed to make the application work on his old Commodore 64, but it was a truly impotent performance. Not that he’s much of a talker or active participant to begin with, but Longton’s computer apparently doesn’t have a camera, leaving him unable to speak, deliberate or vote during the meeting. Seriously? Is this what the voters of Berkley signed up for when they voted for Longton?
The only guess we have for Longton’s remote appearance is that he might not be able to handle the pressure of direct questions in a public meeting setting and chose to hide at home. This provides a sharp contrast in approach with the other two current members as well as the previous board, who attended every meeting in the winter and spring of 2026 while under an incredible amount of pressure.
But what about Bob? A few minutes of difficult but polite questions in an open meeting and Longton quits participating on the spot? We are 6 weeks in to Longton’s term and it looks like the $6,100 spent on a recount, a pizza party and all of that “transparency” are not going to pay off if this is all of what Berkley can expect from Bob Longton. The Real Costs of Berkley’s Recount. $6,100 and a Lesson in Accountability
After grinding their way through the re-appointment of ethically hobbled Conservation Commissioner Dave Patrick with the grace that you want in any benevolent dictator, Chairwoman Tabitha McCrohan and Selectwoman Jennifer Vincent had to step in for fellow Selectman and Cemetery Commissioner Robert Longton in order to handle questions from the public about the deplorable condition of the Town-owned Common Cemetery.
Big Trouble at a Little Cemetery
As many remember, Berkley’s 250th celebration of American Independence was a magnificent event. Residents loved the small community togetherness. The only consistently negative feedback was with respect to the Common cemetery. People passing by remarked several times that the cemetery is not being maintained and is now overgrown like a wild field. It’s not only a sign of disrespect to those who have passed, but to the their loved ones as well.
The issue has now come to a head because the Board of Selectmen recently received many letters, including one from the grieving mother of a small child who passed away tragically last year, to ask for help in fixing the issue so that they can spend time visiting loved ones who have passed without getting tick bites.
The Berkley Cemetery Commission is the elected body responsible for the maintenance of the Common Cemetery, not the Board of Selectmen. But as is the case with a number of these boards and commissions, the same theme continues. Longton and fellow Cemetery Commissioner Kevin Pavao are passing the buck to the ladies of the Board of Selectmen to resolve another mess through their inaction. We have to question the intentions of the members of some of these boards and commissions, seemingly unable and unwilling to figure it out for themselves, but ready to pass the hard tasks to someone else at a moment’s notice. It makes us wonder what the motivation is for these people run to fill these positions if they have no intention of putting any effort and forethought into the work.
As you remember, Longton supporters voted loudly against the override and made bold proclamations about pulling together as a community to not let Berkley fall through the cracks as it deals with sharp cuts to services. But where are they now?
Was it just lip service from the same people who talk but never step up and follow through? It looks safe to say Bob Longton’s do nothing, say nothing approach hasn’t done much to re-instill that spirit of volunteerism in Berkley. It looks like this is just another pot boiling over that Longton is going to sit back and let the ladies of the Board of Selectmen clean up for him.
And that’s exactly what they did.
After today’s Board of Selectmen meeting, Tabitha McCrohan and Jennifer Vincent went to the Berkley Fire and Highway Departments, rode a pair of zero turn mowers over to the Common Cemetery and mowed the entire property. That is direct leadership in action, presenting a stark contrast to some of those hanging out on Town Boards, never contributing much and often waiting for someone else to fix it. If we were Bob Longton or Kevin Pavao, we’d resign in humiliation. They should be ashamed for sitting on their hands and passing this off as something they couldn’t come up with a solution for.
More Election Fallout
Also making public input lively was the ongoing discussion around Berkley’s lack of election integrity. Chairwoman Tabitha McCrohan acknowledged in open session that she and embattled Town Clerk Heather Almy have received complaints about election day behavior by poll worker Kerrie Ann Samson Auclair. McCrohan was non-committal on removing Auclair at this time but re-appointments don’t happen for a few weeks. It remains doubtful that public trust can be satisfied with a retraining, as McCrohan suggested.
Pivoting, both Selectwomen also signaled their desire to follow through with making the Town Clerk position an appointed one vs the current elected model on a future warrant article for Town Meeting. This is a necessary step to fixing Berkley’s issues with election integrity, as well as the larger problems with the office’s performance. We approve.
Smarten up Berkley
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