Over the years the Boothbay Woodchucks have delivered thousands of cords of wood to hundreds of people in need. The volunteer service they perform falls squarely in the area of responsibility borne by our selectmen as “Overseers of the Poor.” Yet our town manager and selectmen complain that these enthusiastic helpers are a potential liability and inconvenient to deal with? Give me a break!

Inasmuch as our selectmen are elected by us as “Overseers of the Poor,” this is their responsibility and it is incumbent upon them to extent whatever legal protections they have over the Good Samaritans who assist them with this task, even if it means buying an inexpensive rider for the town’s liability insurance policy. Town and cities routinely have brigades of volunteers working in support of government functions and they are generally protected by the municipality’s liability insurance. Throwing bureaucratic stones in the path of a group of dedicated to the service of the less fortunate is irresponsible.

And insisting that the group adopt a “chain of command” is equally wrong headed. The Woodchucks work well together as they are. They are fine with a purely democratic approach to all their decisions. Yes it might be a little inconvenient to have to make more than one phone call to communicate with the Woodchucks, but that’s life in a democratic organization. Keep in mind that the town government is formed to serve the people, not the other way around. The town manager and selectmen ought to be tripping over each other trying to help this group rather than arranging things to make life easier for themselves.

Demanding that a group of volunteers incorporate, with all the paperwork and bookkeeping it entails, or adopt a hierarchical chain of command that is not already a part of their existing culture, is a sure way to destroy the spark of goodwill and enthusiasm that keep this group going. The town manager and selectmen ought to rethink what they are about.