Personnel Committee unanimously backs Blatchley for Fort Meadow Commission

MARLBOROUGH -- April 8, 2024, Marlborough Personnel Committee advances Blatchley to Fort Meadow Commission in 3-0 vote. The committee recommended Carl Blatchley, a Fort Meadow resident since 1998 and a commission agent since 2015, for a three-year term replacing Lee Thompson, who has served since 1980. Mayor J. Christian Dumas submitted the appointment under order 24-100-9120, citing Blatchley's maintenance of the commission's city webpage and long ties to the reservoir. Blatchley, a retired Digital Equipment Corporation engineer, asked that his appointment take effect May 1 so Thompson can preside over the commission's next meeting and the election of a new chair. He told councilors the commission's central work for two years has been rewriting lake rules to balance safety with use ranging from canoes to wakeboard boats: "None of us want to be policemen … and yet safety is really important." The full City Council must still confirm.