Independent person

FILE PHOTO Malachy Rice Former assistant town manager Malachy Rice made a bold move in September by submitting his resignation from an important job he had held for two years that allowed him to exercise his administrative talents. In his resignation letter to town manager Libby Gibson, released the following month, Rice listed his scathing opinion of the town counsel's political behaviors and exorbitant legal fees as issues that clashed with his personal principles and posed problems for the island he could not accept.

Rice, whose last day was to be November 27, stayed until December 16 at Gibson's request. He said that although he had no new position lined up by his departure, he held no regrets about voicing his views and standing up for what he believed was in the town's best interests.

In his letter, Rice stated that "The struggle to control legal services spending, improve the quality of legal advice provided to the town and resolve the situation with Town Counsel has led to a personal dilemma. As a matter of principle, I cannot remain silent about the town's exorbitant legal costs and the substandard quality of the legal advice we are receiving.

"I have determined that my only recourse to maintain my professional standards and my personal principle is to resign my position. … I am willing to sacrifice personal security in the interest of the public good."

Rice noted that he had no issues with the Board of Selectmen, who have since called for an independent review of town counsel's charges to the town, his use of retainer time and other matters. Saying that sometimes the only way to effect change regarding important matters is through dramatic action, he further wrote in his letter to Gibson, "My actions are meant to bring attention to a serious issue that a part-time contractor for the town of Nantucket is causing. My only motivation is good government, and it is a principle I feel so strongly about that I have resigned to bring attention to this issue." I