EHS Subcommittee Violated Open Meeting Law – Council Chair “Fixed” Trash Ticket

Ken O’Brien

UPDATE: The video of Tuesday, May 15^th’s, EHS subcommittee meeting is available in three parts HERE.

Last night’s meeting of the Education and Human Services subcommittee lived up to expectations.

Among the revelations was the fact that the Attorney General’s office found the subcommittee to be in violation of the Open Meeting Law. The finding related to the meeting of August 2, 2011. In its report the Attorney General’s office determined that the subcommittee had failed to state there would be a discussion about Ann Beinema, even though the Chair reasonably anticipated one would occur.

The AG’s office did not find that the second complaint, that the subcommittee did not give Mrs. Beinema notice that her "reputation, conduct and character" would be discussed during an open session meeting on August 2, 2011, constituted a violation of the OML.

Out-Of-Town Council Meeting Erupts

Kenneth M. O’Brien

The Southbridge town council met starting at 9:00 this morning at the Southbridge Savings Bank location on Route 20 in Sturbridge.

The meeting rapidly ran into another controversy, not unlike the numerous others that have developed in the short tenure of the current leadership.

A press release from Councilor Laurent McDonald summarizes the events as they unfolded.

Will Cart-Man Strike Back?

Kenneth M. O’Brien

Just as citizens celebrate their triumph over the Cart Monster, there are rumblings that Clickolla has plans to make that victory short-lived.

Such an administrative end run around the democratic process would be nothing new in Casellaburg.

We have Carlisle’s distortion of the Charter to create a five member Board of Health.

We have Healey’s “side letter” that altered the start date of the SRD contract as it was originally defined.

Now we have a variety of signals that there will be another avenue taken to re-animate this "Cart monster corpse".

The Cart Monster That Wouldn’t Die

Kenneth M. O’Brien

The newly reconstituted town council of Casellaburg will hold its first regular meeting on Monday, July 25 at 7:00.

The community’s new power couple of town manager Christopher Clark and council chair Catherine Nickolla (which in the spirit of other such power couples as Brangelina and Bennifer I will dub Clickolla) has put forth their first collaborative agenda.

Among the items to be acted upon are the following: