UPDATED, Nov. 30: Highlighting the third session of the Special Town Meeting were the repeal of restrictions on Minuteman Bikeway hours, discussion of police details and the extent of meeting discussions themselves.
The latter issue was not discussed, but, as articles were debated through the evening, contrasts emerged.
Here is a summary of the votes taken on the main measures Monday, Nov. 23, as the meeting reached Article 15 of 25. Two more sessions are possible, Moderator John Leone said, the next was held Monday, Nov. 30.
Article 4 (Minuteman Bikeway hours):
Postponed from last Nov. 16, discussion resume on Muldoon’s substitute motion. Earlier questioners asked why there are hours when the bikeway is closed and is used at all hours. Bordering municipalities do not close the path. The originally proposed vote maintained hours and had no option to eliminate hours.
The motion proposed eliminating specific hours. Those opposed backed the original article by Adam NacNeill (4) to allow the town manager to set the hours.
Juli Brazile (12) expressed discomfort with the amendment, noting abutters had no notice. Leone said the motion was with the article’s scope.
Phil Goff (7) said he first supported the original article but would back Muldoon’s motion. Rod Holland (7) echoed this stance.
John Worden (8) and then his wife, Patricia read a letter from a former public official calling for no action.
Elizabeth Dray (8) said that if bikeway rules are inconsistently enforced, then that may reflect bias and such rules are not needed.
Greg Christiana (15) asked Chief Flaherty to address security concerns, and she said that the current bylaw is not strictly enforced and the number of complaints about late-night use has declined.
Michelle Durocher (19) asked whether the motion is in scope, and Leone said it was.
Debate was terminated, 217-19-1. Later, Deborah Butler (19), saying she is a bikeway abutter, posted to social media that she had been waiting to speak when debate was terminated. (For the public watching on cable or computer streaming, it not known how many are waiting to speak. Meeting members using the Zoom portal can see those waiting.)
Muldoon’s motion accepted, 211-29-2, and the article was approved, 228-14-2.
Article 9: (Election Modernization Committee):
To extend the term of the committee and modify its name, composition and function.
Debate was terminated immediately, 195-39-5, and the article passed, 234-5-4.
Article 10 (Gold Star Family tax exemption):
After a brief introduction, Peter Howard (10), a longtime Finance Committee member, asked about the cost to the town. Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine said the article would apply to one family and there were funds available in the tax-exemption overlay to cover this expense.
Leba Heigham (11), the next speaker, terminated debate. The vote was, 207-33-1.
Christian Klein (10) wrote in his blog that he was on the speaker list, seeking clarification as to whether the exemption is 100 percent, whether it is permanent and whether it would reduce the amount of exemptions available to seniors.
“Based on a statement from the Asst. Town Manager,” he wrote, “it appears that it is complete and permanent. No answer on the impact on seniors. The town already offers a similar exemption to surviving spouses, so extending it to parents seems appropriate.
“After watching the Moderator nearly blow a gasket over the points of order raised regarding the article,” the article passed 229-6-8.
Klein’s comments illustrate the speaker issue Nov. 23: “A point of order is very limited, and there were lots of questions and requests for clarification that would have been appropriate for general discussion. This is the problem with forcing an early end to debate. I feel that people just want to be done. Debate is important, and letting questions be asked is essential.”
Article 11 (Justin Brown):
Personal exemption for a resident who is eight years past the cut-off age for applying for the Civil Service firefighter exam.
Joe Tully (14) said the law’s cutoff in the law is arbitrary but encouraged a positive vote. Michelle Durocher (19) said the measure gave the appearance of granting a personal favor. She recommended the town consider changing the underlying legislation to remove or increase the maximum age.
Zarina Memon (21) asked about the history of the Civil Service law, and Town Counsel Doug Heim responded.
Dan Dunn (21) asked to end debate; the vote was, 221-20. The article passed, 214-24-4.
Article 12 (Town Meeting member elections):
To consolidate the vote for all open seats in a precinct under one vote, and the seats would be allocated with the longest available terms given to the candidates with the higher number of votes.
After a seven-minute break, discussion about a potentially complex matter ended before it began. After a brief explanatory video introduced by James O’Conor (19), the first speaker voted to terminate debate. It passed, 192-45-2, as did the main vote, 213-29-2.
The number of dissenting vote might signal that speakers went unheard. Among the “no” votes, Klein wrote: “Again, I find the frequent stifling of debate at odds with the purpose of town meeting to be deliberative. We swear to ‘participate fully,’ and shunning all debate is anti-participatory.”
Article 13 (Ranked-choice voting):
To allow the process in town elections. The initial votes of the Election Modernization Committee and the Select Board were to move forward, but, before the Special Town Meeting began, the committee withdrew the article, and the Select Board entered a recommendation of no action. O’Conor, committee chair, said more time was needed to study the matter.
Timur Yontar (7) called it “poor procedure” that neither panel amended their reports to reflect the changes. “I don’t think we should vote on this,” he said.
Adam Auster (3) and Paul Schlichtman (9) offered amendments, but they were withdrawn when the recommended vote was changed.
Leone said a no-action vote is not debatable, so a vote came next, and it passed, 222-5-14.
Article 14 (Senior water discount):
The home-rule petition to extend water rate discounts to more categories of older residents drew a request from John Deyst (14) to removed the reference to seniors, but no motion was made.
Klein reported that debate ended with a motion from Select Board member Diane Mahon, “with eight members waiting to possibly learn more about the article.”
He commented: “It does feel like this is a deliberate move to either rush ahead, or quash debate. I note that the last two motions to terminate debate were raised by a member of the Select Board who put forward the recommended vote. I strongly encourage allowing Town Meeting members to debate the articles as well.”
The vote to terminate was 165-61-7. The article passed, 217-9-8.
Article 15 (Retired police officer details):
The petition seeking to allow retired police officers to serve as special officers to fill detail positions was originally raised during union negotiations with the police unions. Officers receive many requests to serve on details, and the town cannot always provide them.
Dray requested a no vote. She said that last March, she asked for more police training, including antibias. She said the measure would increase size of police department when the black community nationally seeks reductions.
An exchange between Timur Yontar (7) and Chapdelaine conveyed the possibility of the use of civilian flaggers for details and savings that might result.
Klein sought clarifications about the impact on two sections of state law. Heim explained exemptions from Civil Service protections, exemption from disability retirement, a reduction in indemnification, a removal of collective bargaining rights and an ability to allow termination with or without cause. Special officers are also exempt from the full extent training required of regular officers.
Klein strongly encouraged open discussion of the article and not too terminate debate too early. For this article, it did not.
Sanjay Newton (10) urged a no vote, supporting Dray about training.
Chief Flaherty said that special officers would still be required to undergo training on their own time to qualify and maintain the positions. She said special officers’ work does not affect retirement accounts and that they will not be salaried, but are paid from detail funds.
She said that although civilians can be hired to serve in many positions at a lower cost, the difference is not as great as many might think.
Former Fire Chief Bob Jefferson (12) supported the article. He said: “Reducing police forces is an article for another day.”
Gordon Jamieson asked about the need for such officers. Chapdelaine said details regularly go unfilled, or the town must relay on officers from other places.
At the 11 p.m. adjournment, Leone said the speakers’ list is held over to Nov. 30. He said he expects “probably two more nights at this rate.”
Audio, video issues
Audio and video issues have periodically interrupted the ACMi broadcast of sessions one through three of the Special Town Meeting.
Jeff Munro, operations manager for the cable-TV station, expressed frustration as he works with Comcast, Verizon and RCN to find a solution to issues he has not seen before in 20 years at the station.
“The problem is with the livestream [signal] communicating with the cable stream,” he said in phone interview Nov. 24.
Munro suggested what when audio and video problems occur on a Town Meeting broadcast, shutting off your cable box and turning it back on works.
YourArlington’s publisher confirmed that watching the meeting on a computer works without problems. Go to government programming here >>
Munro and Norm McLeod, ACMi executive director, want the public to know all are working hard to resolve the issue. “The problem has been very inconsistent, and it’s severity has varied in cable boxes in the same home,” he said. “We are working to troubleshoot the problems; they are hard to reproduce.”
All cable systems have had technical issues during live streams onto the cable system in one way or another, he said.
See the ACMi video of the Nov. 23 meeting:
Menotomy Matters: Special Town Meeting warrant annotated
Nov. 22, 2020: Special Town Meeting No. 2: Support for affordable-housing fund, studying police board
How members voted Nov. 23 >>
This news summary was published Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020, and it was updated to a full summary with ACMi video window Nov. 30.
