Natick Selectmen Address Open Meeting Law Complaints

NATICK, MA—Responding to complaints about compliance with the Open Meeting Law by Natick boards, selectmen at a recent meeting addressed concerns about the law and how it affects the town.

Chair Amy Mistrot began by saying that the board had received multiple Open Meeting Law complaints and requests, with eight filed by individuals.

"We wanted to share this with the community just for transparency's sake," said Mistrot, adding that the complaints included a delay in posting meeting minutes and a perceived delay in posting minutes of executive session. "There is a heightened level of transparency that we enjoy and follow along with."

The selectmen also wanted to throw light on what they consider an inordinate amount of financial resources and administrative time spent fielding these complaints.

"We are doing our part where improvements can be made," said Mistrot, "but we want to be sure that there is a balance. We work very hard, but the law can be cumbersome at times, but it is there to provide engagement and transparency and we take it with great responsibility."

Selectman Michael Hickey Jr. added that the resources used to answer complains could be better spent in town government.

"We do our best to follow the Open Meeting Law and its regulations," said Hickey. "Ninety-eight percent or more of what we do is on camera. I think the intent of the law is achieved in most instances just by the fact that most of what we do is on camera. I think we need a distinction between the ethical violation and perhaps a procedural issue that the board is not aware of. "

Hickey argued that the intent and spirit of the Open Meeting Law is adhered to, but there is "always room for improvement."

"I would underscore how deeply concerned I am, and I'm guessing I'm not alone in this thinking, about the sheer number of hours, not minutes, but hours, that our administrative staff has spent addressing concerns or complaints or requests over the last several months," he said. "I want the school committee to focus on our children and the curriculum, or the Town Clerk to deal with voting or marriage certificates and other things that are the primary core of our government; not spending hours and attorney money dealing with a repeated pattern of requests that are really intended to play a game of tying up town resources."

Earlier this year, Natick taxpayers paid out a minimum of $2,500, according to the MetroWest Daily News, to pay for a mediator to resolve a dispute between the School Committee and Ron Alexander, a Wellesley resident who had filed 79 Open Meeting Law complaints against the board in a four-month span.

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