Application For Abortion Ban Rally on Guilford Green Denied

GUILFORD, CT - The Board of Selectmen, at a meeting on July 19th, voted unanimously to not allow an organization named "Freedom for Women" use of the Guilford Green for a rally against abortion bans on July 27th.

The board took the action after hearing from its attorney, Town Counsel Peter Barrett, who advised First Selectman Matt Hoey that 'This application did not meet some of the requirements of the Green Use regulations, including paragraph 1: “These regulations are adopted by the Board of Selectmen in the Town of Guilford to govern the use of the Green by Guilford nonprofit organizations for community events."

Barrett noted that it is unclear if Freedom for Women is a Guilford organization, stating "the address on the application is a Madison address.”

It was also noted that the regulations also state “Any such application must be filed at least three months prior to the desired dates," a requirement the application did not meet.

Selectman Sue Renner asked if Freedom for Women is an actual non-profit organization. She said it was unclear from the submitted information.

The Board of Selectmen also noted that Item d of the regulations requires,“A certificate of insurance naming the Town of Guilford as additional insured for the event with a 30 day cancellation notice must be attached to the application before the request will be considered by the Board of Selectmen."

The certificate of insurance that was submitted does not name the Town as additional insured, nor did it come from the organization which applied for use of the Green, the selectmen noted.

In respect to the Indemnification Agreement, there is no supporting documentation that the named organization has the means to indemnify the town, or the insurance to protect the town, the selectmen further noted.

After consideration, the Board decided that the application would be denied, based on the stipulations outlined in the Green Use regulations. They also requested that the denial letter explain the reasons for the denial, and also offer the applicant an opportunity to respond.

Selectman Sandy Ruoff reiterated that it is unclear whether the applicant is a Guilford organization.

The Board of Selectmen decided as a group to revisit the Green regulations at an
upcoming meeting. Large events, they said, may need to be reviewed by the Green
Committee prior to coming to the Board of Selectmen.