Transparency is only a word

Back in 2015, I started keeping careful track of the release of the Board of Selectmen’s meeting minutes.This was due to a Stoneham Independent article that I read which described an “open” meeting that took place in a tiny conference room at 5:00 one afternoon. One Board member, former selectman John DePinto, asked then Chairman Boussy to move the meeting to their usual meeting room. He was told no. He then asked if the meeting could be recorded, as the meetings usually were, by Stoneham TV. He was told no. I noticed that the minutes of that meeting (and others that were held in the conference room) were not forthcoming, so I requested them. I learned that the former office manager, whose job included taking minutes of meetings, was no longer allowed to attend meetings held in the conference room. The Board had assigned the task instead to the former Town Counsel. The minutes I requested were eventually produced, along with a letter placing the blame on the former office manager. The Board was found to be in violation of the Open Meeting Law.

At the 3-20-18 Board of Selectmen’s meeting, there was an agenda item to discuss executive session minutes from prior years. This was as a result of my request for those minutes. In the time frame of 2014 to early 2016, some executive session minutes have been lost. During that time, the Board members spoke frequently and proudly of their transparency. Unfortunately, there was no correlation between their words and their subsequent actions. At the executive session meetings back then, discussions took place and important decisions were made. Large sums of money were spent. Town employees lost their jobs. The meeting minutes are supposed to be an accurate reflection of what took place which we, the taxpaying residents, have a right to know. How could minutes recently reconstructed to replace lost minutes from so long ago possibly accurately reflect what took place?

The two incumbent selectmen running for reelection were active participants on this Board of the past. The town has been harmed by their actions, with this being only one example. Please carefully consider past actions of these individuals rather than just their words as you cast your votes April 3rd.