Attorney General Rules in Favor of Selectmen in Open Meeting Law Complain

Two open meeting law complaints against the selectmen have received rulings from the attorney general’s office.

The complaints, filed on Jan. 17 by resident Heather Harding, found that the board was not out of compliance with the open meeting law according to a letter delivered to the selectmen by the attorney general’s office.

“Obviously we’re pleased with this decision but it points to that this is a complicated law,” selectmen chair Lorraine Brue said during a meeting of the selectmen on Aug. 19. “I don’t think people file these complaints frivolously so I think it shows how complicated it can be to understand the law.”

In the two complaints, it was questioned whether two meetings on Oct. 31, one with then-chair Mark Sullivan and a second meeting with Brue and selectman Ginny Coppola were out of compliance with the open meeting law according to the Foxboro Reporter.

According to Mark H, Higgins, an assistant attorney in the Division of Open Government, Sullivan, Finance Director Randy Scollins, and Chief of Police Ed O’Leary met with Kraft Group representatives to discuss, “strategies to make police details at Patriot Place more efficient, and to enhance public safety.”

At the request of Kraft Group Vice President Dan Murphy, Sullivan met with the group to discuss changes to a previously negotiated agreement convening the development of Patriot Place and mitigation fees to the town.

Not wanting to attend the meeting alone, Sullivan requested that Brue attend the meeting with him. Sullivan was unable to make the meeting however and Coppola went to the meeting with Brue with Sullivan attending a separate meeting.

Earlier this month, the selectmen voted to approve a process for the filing and handling of open meeting law complaints.