By Steve Landwehr
The face of the Essex Regional Retirement Board changed yesterday morning and could be in for a more substantial makeover.
Ipswich town Treasurer Kevin Merz was elected chairman of the board's Advisory Council, replacing Rockport Treasurer Roberta Josephson.
The victory was by the narrowest margin possible. Of the 48 member units of the council, 37 cast ballots, and Merz prevailed, 19-18.
Meanwhile, the state's Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission has ruled that the retirement board's re-election of Chairman Timothy Bassett is irrelevant, coming as it did more than a year late.
The state agency is now also questioning Katherine O'Leary's presence on the board. By statute, the board was supposed to appoint a successor who was not a retiree in the Essex system, as O'Leary is, when her initial term expired in 2004.
The intent of the original legislation was to balance the interests of retirees and the towns that help foot the bill. O'Leary's election resulted in giving retirees and active municipal employees greater representation than intended.
The successor was supposed to be elected to a three-year term, but the board instead re-elected O'Leary to a five-year term. By law, the only board member serving more than a three-year term is the chairman.
The board may have realized that, having voted to reappoint O'Leary to another three-year term in 2007.
In any case, PERAC is looking for an explanation of the votes, and any justification the board can provide for O'Leary's continued presence.
O'Leary could not be reached for comment yesterday, and Bassett did not return a message left at his office.
The state commission is soliciting candidates to replace Bassett as chairman, though it could ultimately stick with him. He could have at least one rival for the job.
Ipswich Town Manager Bob Markel said yesterday that he intends to recommend that Middleton Town Administrator Ira Singer be chosen. Singer said yesterday that he hasn't decided whether he would accept the nomination and needs to confer with his employer, the Board of Selectmen, before making a decision.
Markel believes Singer has the qualifications for the job.
"He has the time, the interest and the knowledge," Markel said.
He and other high-ranking town officials have been working behind the scenes to overhaul the board and said yesterday's election of Merz was "a good start."
Merz has been critical of the board's secrecy and said after the election that one of the reasons he ran was to end that.
"I wanted to open up the connection between the board and member units," Merz said.
The road to victory was challenging. Merz asked for an explanation of the election process and a list of the Advisory Council members last September.
It took months to obtain the information, and at the last minute Merz and other council members got a letter — sent Friday, after local town halls were closed for the weekend — indicating that some of the Advisory Council members had been improperly appointed and were being replaced.
Barbara Jessel, chairwoman of the Boxford selectmen, said yesterday that Merz's election, and the possibility that other members could change, gives member towns representation they haven't had for some time.
"What's been missing on this board is balance," Jessel said. "You've had four members looking out for the retirees and one looking out for the municipalities."
