Right to Know request on Lebanon ethics policy fails to scare up any potential conflicts of interest

Editor's Note: This is the first in an occasional series of stories on Lebanon's recently enacted Ethics Policy and the potential for conflicts of interest within Lebanon's town goverment, it's employees and town services contracts.
LEBANON - Lebanon Selectmen Chair Christine Torno is the aunt of the town's road commisioner, Tom Torno, and the cousin of the owner of R.D. Torno and Son Paving, a company that sits at or near the top of the vendor money list for town contracts.
The recently hired town treasurer is the grandson of transfer station manager and longtime selectman Ronal Patch and a former road department laborer working under Tom Torno for several years.
And the other two selectmen, Royce Heath and Paul Nadeau, were both longtime workers at the transfer station under Patch until they were forced to quit shortly after Nadeau was elected selectman in June 2015 due to potential quorums while at work.

Clockwise from left, selectmen Royce Heath, Paul Nadeau and Christine Torno. (Lebanon Voice file photo)

Yet, according to town records obtained last week through a Right to Know request by The Lebanon Voice, none of the town's elected officials or employees have indicated any conflicts of interest or even potential conflicts of interest in documentation required by the town's Ethics Policy enacted earlier this year.
During an August meeting with The Lebanon Voice selectmen rebuked any possible charges of conflict, arguing that while some people may think there are conflicts of interest among selectmen, town employees and vendors, that just isn't the case.
"I think that's all in the vision of the beholder," said Heath, who is among several town officials or employees who have yet to sign either the document acknowledging they received a copy of the policy, or whether they had any potential conflicts or conflicts.
At the Aug. 8 meeting The Lebanon Voice specifically brought up the legitimacy of the hiring of new treasurer Jordan Miles - whose grandfather Patch hired and managed both Heath and Nadeau at the transfer station. Miles, with no job experience in accounting or as a treasurer, was hired earlier this year over seven other candidates.
Selectwoman Torno made it clear during the meeting that Miles was "not hired strictly on his abiility to do the job."
Nadeau added that six months down the road, "you'll be glad we hired him."
However, there were indications soon after Miles' hiring that the interim treasurer would be working an extended transition as she showed him how to do the job. Meanwhile, a Right to Know request for an exact record of how many weeks the two worked together has so far been denied by the town.
A Lebanon Voice request for a list of the other treasurer candidate resumes - even with names and other personal infomation redacted - was denied by selectmen.
Still, despite her connections to relatives either employed by the town or receiving town contracts, Christine Torno steadfastly denies any potential for conflicts of interest on her end.
"I don't care if the're family or not, they get treated the same in here," she said.
Other notable town officials, department heads and employees that have not filled out the required Ethics Policy documentation include transfer station manager Patch, Road Commisioner Torno and Selectman Nadeau.