ADAMS, Mass. — The town's dealing with an exodus in leadership that the chair of the Selectmen attributed to constant beratement, particularly at meetings.

 

Since last fall, the town's lost its finance director, town administrator, community development director and community development program director.

 

"There's several employees, especially the ones at the top, have left because of the public comments that have been made to them over months, and they decided it's not worth it," Chair John Duval said at last week's Selectmen's meeting. "Being being berated every week, every two weeks, is not something that they signed up for, and they've gone to a community that doesn't do that, and now we have to try to find somebody to replace these positions."

 

His remarks came after a discussion over funding for training requested on the agenda by Selectman Joseph Nowak, who said he had been told if they "pay the people good. They're going to stay with us."

 

"You've got to pay them good, because they're hard to come by, and people are leaving, and they had good salaries," he said. "I wish I could make that much. So that theory doesn't seem to be working."

 

Duval said the town doesn't have a good reputation now "because of all of the negative comments going on against our employees, which they shouldn't have to deal with. They should just be able to come here and work."

 

The town administrator, Jay Green, left after being attacked for so long, he said, and the employees decided "the heck with Adams, we're out of here, we're gone."