Town departures: Swift from planning commission, fireworks from agenda

The town of Washington has a vacancy on its planning commission, Mayor Fred Catlin announced at Monday night’s monthly town council meeting.

Council member Gail Swift, who also serves as the town treasurer, is stepping down from the planning post. New applicants are encouraged to write or email Town Clerk Barbara Batson by Sept. 1; the council hopes to fill the vacancy at its Sept. 8 regular meeting.

Catlin’s fi rst action at the meeting was to make a motion, passed unanimously, to remove an item labeled “Fireworks displays” from the meeting agenda; some said the agenda item was the reason a larger-than-usual crowd of about 20 had shown up at town hall.

“There had been some fireworks that had gone off” around town in the weeks before and after the Fourth of July, Catlin explained later by phone. “There was some concern. Some of them were pretty loud. It was really just a chance to have a discussion — what could we do to minimize the effect on the community.”

Catlin said it seemed a better idea for some of the council members to talk about it before having a public discussion.

During public comment near the end of the brief, half-hour meeting, the only seemingly related comment came from town resident Judy DeSarno, who asked how items on the council agenda get there.

“I try to speak to at least a few council members,” Catlin said. “My philosophy is to try to be as transparent as possible and so if members of the community have something they want discussed, I have no fear of having the discussion, I think it’s important.”

“I presume most folks were here tonight to hear about the agenda item [that was removed],” Councilman Joe Whited said later, just as the council was about to adjourn. “I think we need to improve our communication of when we’re going to take things off our agenda that the public’s interested in.”