Open meetings, local elections and overrides
CLIFF KRIEGER, a member of Lowell’s Licensing Commission, reached out to The Column to note that among its many duties, the board also licenses palm readers, also known as fortune tellers under Massachusetts law.
The commission has the authority to “adopt rules and regulations for licenses and license activity that address matters of local interest in compliance with the laws of the Commonwealth.”
So, if you go and get your palm read in the city of Lowell, the proprietor should have a license displayed on premises.
But then, they already knew that, right?
Based on previous reporting about Open Meeting Law complaints filed in Lowell against both the City Council and the School Committee, a reader reached out to let The Sun know that a complaint had been filed with the Attorney General’s Office against the Tyngsboro Housing Authority, alleging that three members colluded to oust longtime Executive Director Melinda Theide from her position.
A quick check of the THA website shows a job positing for Theide’s position and the board voted not to renew her contract at the Jan. 31 meeting. A subsequent meeting was scheduled for Feb. 28, but its agenda is not listed on the THA site, nor is there a recording of that meeting available on the Tyngsboro Media Channel.
The Attorney General website listing of pending OML complaints show the THA complaint as filed with the AG on March 7. There are no other complaints in the system for the town.
In contrast, Lowell has five complaints on file — two against the City Council and three against the School Committee. All of the complaints were filed by Laura Ortiz.
The Sun previously reported on Ortiz’s complaints against the City Council.
In January, Ortiz, who listed a P.O. box as her address, filed her complaints regarding the tabling of Councilor Corey Robinson’s motions by a majority of his colleagues on the Lowell City Council.
According to Ortiz’s lengthy filing, “On or before 1½0/23, Lowell City Councilor believed to be Wayne Jenness outside of the Open Meeting Law process, called an quorum of (9) peer
City Councilors to ask them to make a statement and also to pressure fellow City Councilor Corey Robinson (a minority federal court decree ward duly and legally elected city council representative) into resigning his seat as the elected representative of Centralville … .”
The complaint is the latest incident in which Robinson’s personal life has collided with his official one. The newly reelected Robinson was arraigned in Lowell District Court on Nov. 16 on two charges of assault and battery on a family/household member.
The alleged criminal incident took place at the Dracut residence of his “on-again/offagain” girlfriend, during which
Robinson is alleged to have hit, chased, strangled and pulled out the victim’s hair.
The alleged incident took place eight days after Lowell’s municipal election, in which Robinson was reelected to serve a second term representing the Centralville neighborhood. Robinson, 46, was released on bail that included an order to stay away from the alleged victim that was enforced by a GPS tracking bracelet.
Since then, the council struggled to deal with the first councilor since the adoption of Plan E form of government in 1943 to be arrested while holding office, according to Lowell historian Richard Howe.
Robinson also has the dubious distinction of being the first sit
ting councilor to be inaugurated and take the oath of office while wearing a GPS ankle bracelet, as well as sitting in the chamber making motions and voting on agenda items with the tracking device affixed to his left ankle.
Robinson’s case is due back in Lowell District Court on Monday, April Fool’s Day, for another compliance and election hearing date.
On the subject of domestic assault, The Sun updated the language on its arrest logs, which run several times a week, and list arrests from multiple communities, including Lowell.
Domestic violence arrests do not show up in the logs that are one of the paper’s most popular items.
Former Gov. Deval Patrick signed legislation in 2014 that requires police to scrub names of those arrested on domestic violence charges from the public police log.
The intent is to protect victims and ensure they report their attackers, but the effect creates the impression that no domestic violence crime takes place in the city.
But according to police recordings, violence against women — and women are still 91% of the cases of domestic violence nationwide — is still very much a problem in the city of Lowell.
On this last day of Women’s History Month, The Sun corrects that misrepresentation with the following statement preceding every arrest log article:
“The following arrests were made recently by local police departments. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Massachusetts’ privacy law prevents police from releasing information involving domestic and sexual violence arrests with the goal to protect the alleged victims.”
An epidemic of deficits and overrides
UNPRECEDENTED TURNOUT for a March 26 Town Meeting compelled Groton officials to dissolve the event due to larger-than-anticipated attendance. More than 900 people came out for a vote to override Proposition 2½ to cover a budget deficit, which has become a near epidemic among town governments across the commonwealth.
Not very far away, the town of Dunstable is also attempting an override. Other nearby communities trying to solve budget deficits include Acton, Dracut, Dunstable and Westford.
The Groton-dunstable Regional Middle School Performing Arts Center auditorium and an overflow room could not accommodate the crowd that turned out this past week. Groton is now seeking a space that can hold a crowd of that size.
Despite the delay in holding the Town Meeting to attempt an override, the town will go ahead with its planned special election on the override petition. The election is scheduled for Tuesday, April 2. Dunstable, joined with Groton in a regional district, will also hold its special election on Tuesday. The two towns have been trying to follow the same schedule.
An override requires approval by Town Meeting and by ballot in an election. Both votes must succeed for the override to pass.
Groton Select Board Chair Peter Cunningham explained what’s behind the $50.5 million town budget, including the $27.7 million school budget.
In his statement to The Sun, he raised an interesting point about Proposition 2½.
“Groton is experiencing the confluence of a number of factors that are impacting the revenues available to the town to build its budget. At the core are the limitations of (Proposition 2½) which by itself does not keep up with inflation and the cost of providing services,” Cunningham said.
Inflation is one of the primary reasons that towns are struggling to cover important services like public safety and education.
The proposition passed by ballot measure in 1980 amid what has been called a “tax revolt” around the country, starting in California. The country was in recession in 1980 and was about to fall into a deeper recession. With high unemployment, the tax limitation measures were especially appealing. But inflation brings a different view to town governments.
In addition to the pressure of inflation, Cunningham noted the end of funding for many federal programs that were available during the pandemic. He also cited relatively flat state aid for both municipal and school services, mandatory increases in the Middlesex County Retirement assessment, increased health insurance costs and a number of unfunded state mandates which for the most part impact the schools.
Groton is in the unique position (at least among area towns) of being home to two prestigious and tax-exempt private schools, Lawrence Academy and the Groton School. And faculty and staff at the two schools send their children to the Groton public schools. Groton is not reimbursed for that, Cunningham said.
If approved for Groton, the $5.5 million override request would be added to the tax levy over the course of three years, not all at once. In fiscal 2025, the tax levy would increase by $1.7 million; in fiscal 2026 by $1.8 million; and by $1.7 million in fiscal 2027. Cunningham emphasized that the numbers are not set in stone. “There are a number of other factors which could affect the actual number in each fiscal year,” he said.
The epidemic of deficits and proposals for overrides has also caused a delay in the Westford annual Town Meeting, which was set for March 23 for the Westford Academy gym and auditorium, and will now be held April 27 at the Westford Academy football field because of expected turnout.
In Acton, the town will vote by ballot on an override April 30 and at Town Meeting on May 6.
An override in Dracut likely will not be put before voters at least until the fall. When, and if, it does land before voters, it will test the town’s tradition of never approving an operational override. Voters have voted for debt exclusions before, which, unlike overrides, do not permanently add to the tax levy. But debt exclusions are more suited to capital projects.
Stay tuned for Dracut’s decision on whether to attempt an override.
A peek at local downballot races
IT IS a busy local election season and while much of the focus tends to be on the races for select boards and school committees, there are other races appearing on local ballots that voters should be prepared to decide on as well.
In Billerica there are contested races almost all the way down the ballot this year in the April 6 election. In addition to the contested races of the Select Board and School Committee that have been covered in more detail by The Sun in recent days, the position of town moderator and seats on the Planning Board also have some competition.
The town moderator seat is a race with incumbent John Mckenna seeking reelection against challenger James Reef. The Planning Board is a three-person race for two three-year seats between Anthony Ventresca and incumbents Marlies Henderson and Christopher Tribou. Incumbent Taryn Gillis is uncontested in seeking one of Billerica’s two seats for a three-year term on the Shawsheen Tech School Committee.
Billerica has a representative Town Meeting, and each voting precinct will have different options to choose from in that race.
In Chelmsford, in addition to the contested Select Board and School Committee races in the April 2 election, the Planning Board has three open seats with threeyear terms being sought by four candidates: Doreen Deshler, Christopher Lavallee and incumbents Paul Mcdougall and Deirdre Connolly. The Board of Library Trustees also has some competition in Chelmsford with two seats with three-year terms up for grabs between Joshua Wimble, Bina Upadhyay and incumbent David Braslau.
The seat for Planning Board associate in Chelmsford is uncontested with just Joel Luna seeking a one-year term. The same is the case with a three-year term on the Cemetery Commission, with just Candace Chase on the ballot for the seat. As with Billerica, Chelmsford has a representative Town Meeting, and those seats will appear on the ballot for each individual precinct.
Tewksbury will have its election the same day as Billerica on April 6, to the dismay of a certain reporter that covers both communities. Though beyond the hotly contested Select Board and School Committee races, no other board or committee seats have any competition.
The Planning Board in Tewksbury has one seat for a three-year term up for grabs with only incumbent Vincent Fratalia’s name on the ballot. Likewise, the Board of Library Trustees has two seats up for election, with incumbents Christopher Castiglione and Bonnie Page as the only two names on the ballot.
George Ferdinand and Christine Janeczak are the only two names on the ballot for the Board of Health race, with Ferdinand seeking one of two three-year terms and Janeczak seeking an unexpired two-year term. However, multiple write-in campaigns have been announced, with five candidates in total appearing at the candidate forum for the race on March 28. The write-in candidates are Luke Miller, Pamela Lefave and Donna Robitaille.
A five-year term on the Tewksbury Housing Authority is on the ballot with just John Deputat in the running for the seat. On the Shawsheen Tech School Committee, Robert Hutchins is uncontested for a three-year term in one of Tewksbury’s two seats.
This week’s Column was prepared by reporters Melanie Gilbert in Lowell, Prudence Brighton on local overrides, and Peter Currier on local election races.