Halsey Files OML Complaint Against Select Board

READING -- John Halsey filed an Open Meeting Law Complaint Monday against the same group he's a member of, the Reading Select Board. The complaint was filed with the attorney general's office and despite the awkwardness it brings, it was just a small part of a difficult night for Halsey, a board member for five years.

Halsey also resigned Monday as board liaison for the Recreation Committee after a recent meeting that took a contentious turn. He will be replaced as liaison by Vanessa Alvarado. But the discussion of the dispute between Halsey and the Recreation Committee dominated the meeting and it didn't show off the board's best side. Toward the end of the 3 1/2 hour meeting the board was trying to find a time to discuss Halsey's issue with the committee but when Alvarado tried to focus the talk on finding a date, Halsey responded by saying, "don't speak to me like I'm a child."

Between Alvarado and new board chair Andy Friedmann, Halsey had a number of unpleasant exchanges during the night. Regarding the Recreation Committee issue, Halsey felt Friedmann played to the Rec Committee members in the room and touched on the dispute without fully explaining it. "I would caution against opening a can of worms halfway," said Halsey. "Either do it or don't do it."

At the previous board meeting, Halsey was a candidate for chairman and had the support of fellow member Dan Ensminger. But with Alvarado and Friedmann supporting Friedmann's candidacy, Barry Berman was left to cast the deciding vote and supported Friedmann. It was clear Monday night that the wounds from that meeting haven't healed and the issues with the Recreation Committee brought them to the surface.

Friedmann, who was leading his first meeting as chair, started the night by saying, "It's an honor to be elected chair of the board. I hope we can work together well this year." Moments later, Berman apologized for his choice of words at the previous board meeting at which Friedmann was elected chair. Berman said he didn't mean to imply that Friedmann wasn't ready to become chair. His apology brought a rare round of applause from the assembled residents in the room.

Friedmann hoped both the OML complaint and the Recreation Committee issue could be addressed at the board's next meeting July 31. But with Halsey on vacation that week and other board member's summer vacation plans, the board was looking at possibly adding another meeting.

Photo by Bob Holmes