AG Rules Southbridge School Committee Did Not Violate Meeting Law

Susan Spencer Teleggram & Gazette Staff

The Southbridge School Committee did not violate the state's Open Meeting Law when it voted to appoint an interim superintendent and a recording secretary in July, the attorney general's office ruled last week.

But Assistant Attorney General Hanne Rush wrote in her letter of Dec. 22 to the School Committee's lawyer, Kimberly Rozak, that because commitee Chairman Scott S. Lazo knew the identity of the sole candidate for each of the two positions, he should have posted their names on the meeting agendas.

Southbridge School Committee Attends OML Class - Learns Nothing

Ken O’Brien

The newly constituted leadership of the Southbridge School Committee continues its pattern of setting a poor example for the youth in their charge.

In this installment of the ongoing soap opera “As The District Burns” we examine the lesson provided on paying attention in class.

Specifically we will illustrate how what one supposedly gains by attending a specialized training is useless if you cannot apply it in “real life”.

Chairman Resigns from Southbridge School Committee

Ken O’Brien

In an action that surprised most observers, School Committee Chairman Patricia Woodruff announced her resignation from the School Committee during tonight’s meeting.

Reading from a prepared statement during the Chairwoman’s Announcement segment of the meeting, she said; “It appears to me the politics of the school committee have overtaken the true mission of this committee.  There seems to be a prevailing opinion of the current majority of the school committee that this would be cured by my absence.  While I do not share this opinion, I feel it is only fair to our children, who should be the true focus of our actions, to allow the majority to have their way.  I therefore resign from the committee to be effective at the conclusion of this meeting. I hope that this gesture will encourage the remaining members to focus on what is important, the youth of our community.” 

How Many Illegal Subcommittee Meetings Has The Southbridge Town Council Held?

Ken O’Brien

Rule Number 18 of The Southbridge Town Council Rules and Regulations states:

“All rules of procedure not considered herein shall be governed by ‘Roberts Rules of Parliamentary Procedure’.”

It has recently been brought to my attention that on a number of occasions meetings of various subcommittees have been held where there was not a quorum of the subcommittee membership in attendance. In order to resolve this problem the council chair or vice-chair has been called upon to meet quorum requirements in their status as ex-officio members of all subcommittees as provided for in Town Council rule #4:

Why The Open Meeting Law Violation Matters

Ken O’Brien

There are those who feel that my open meeting law complaint was a minor matter undeserving of any serious attention.

I profoundly disagree with this view for numerous reasons. The most fundamental reason is that it relates directly to the relentless effort to amend the town charter on terms that are beneficial to particular political interests. I can only imagine the outrage of many of those pursuing this agenda if a similar campaign was mounted, with analogous political chicanery, to alter the U.S. Constitution. 

Town Admits Open Meeting Law Violation

Ken O’Brien

During town manager's announcements at the September 24 council meeting Mr. Clark called for a motion to request the state legislature to amend the laws passed relating to Southbridge Town Charter amendments to say that the election to ratify them could be held in 2013 rather than 2012 as is currently required. That motion was made and unanimously adopted.

These actions were reported in The O’Zone that evening in an article titled Another Open Meeting Law Violation In Southbridge?. 

My Open Meeting Law Complaint

Ken O’Brien

The O’Zone has documented at great length the black comedy of errors that has constituted efforts to amend the Southbridge Town Charter.

First we witnessed the ineptitude of the town council in dealing with the original charter amendment proposals by the Charter Review Committee after a year’s work.

Then we saw the newly elected council dispense with all that work in two subcommittee sessions and ram through the politically driven result. 

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.

Treating Some SouthbridgeTown Records As Trash

Ken O’Brien

Our municipal government overlords have no compunction about punishing the “pigs and barnyard animals” as our town council chair famously referred to some residents. You don’t use the right trash bags or the prescribed form of trash container? In a vampirical parody of Oprah, the message is “Here’s a $250 fine for you, and here’s a $250 fine for you, and for you and for you and….”

But they are apparently far more reticent about disciplining their own when it comes to fulfilling the basic requirements of government. 

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.