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To The Editor:
I want to publicly thank Select Board member Melissa Murphy for voting to support the motion to adjourn the Select Board meeting Tuesday evening, July 9. It was clear at that point that nothing positive was going to happen. I don’t know why Ms. Murphy voted as she did, but I wanted to share my observations as a member of the viewing public.
After three hours of listening to public comment, discussing the release of executive session minutes, and discussing two open meeting law complaints, Chair Bacci started off the last item on that evening’s agenda, put on the agenda at his request – a discussion of a rationale to re-organize the Board.
Mr. Bacci opened the discussion by expressing his frustration with Select Board member Herrick. Mr. Dockser noted that he had been talking to Mr. Bacci for months about organizing a time for the Board to discuss how it would move forward to work together and develop a set of rules for all member to abide by. He stated that he felt strongly that such a meeting should precede any vote to re-organize.
Mr. Bacci then stated that it had been a circus since February 6, that “Melissa should not be right there (motioning to Ms. Murphy who was participating via Zoom), she should not be there. It should be Jackie McCarthy.”
My jaw dropped! What?? Ms. McCarthy resigned – she walked away at a crucial moment. Ms. Murphy worked hard in a special election to fill that empty seat and she won. She absolutely deserves to be right where she is. And from what I’ve heard, she intends to work hard in her new position. Mr. Bacci has no reason and no right to say otherwise.
Mr. Bacci’s refusal to admit to reality, to stop longing for the good old days, and to denigrate a fellow Board member’s right to be in her Select Board seat is detrimental to the entire Select Board.
Both Mr. Bacci and Mr. Haley cling to their need to berate Ms. Herrick, they cling to a memory of an imaginary better past, and they cling even harder to their blatant misogyny. Neither of them have any idea how to move the Board forward and both are a hindrance to the improved functioning of our Select Board.
Mary Ellen O’Neill
Summer Aveune
