Ex-selectmen drop open meeting query.

AuthorKlaft, Lynne
PositionLocal

Byline: Lynne Klaft

LANCASTER -- Two former chairmen of the Board of Selectmen say they researched the Open Meeting Law and agreed not to pursue any complaint over selectmen's controversial Dec. 31 vote not to renew Town Administrator Orlando Pacheco's contract.

Christopher J. Williams and David Dunn had considered a complaint against the current selectmen because of suspicions they had met illegally before Dec. 31 to decide Mr. Pacheco's fate.

"There was not enough to prove that there was an Open Meeting Law violation,'' Mr. Williams said Tuesday. "Even if there was, look at the penalty that Sterling got.

"When you look at the scenario that the Board of Selectmen was facing, they had every right, based upon the contract, not to renew. But I ask, did they read the entire contract to see if the town had any other obligations?'' said Mr. Williams. After a recent Open Meeting Law violation, the state attorney general's office ordered Sterling selectmen to attend a training session on the law.

Lancaster selectmen took a straw vote in executive session Dec. 23 to decide whether to extend Mr. Pacheco's contract, according to "redacted version 2'' meeting minutes requested by the Telegram & Gazette.

The straw vote was 2-1 not to renew Mr. Pacheco's contract, which expires on June 30. Just as they did in the official vote on Dec. 31, Selectman Jean M. Syria and Selectman Susan E. Smiley voted against renewal. On both occasions, Selectman Stanley B. Starr Jr. cast the only vote supporting Mr. Pacheco.

After the Dec. 31 vote, there were questions whether the board had violated the state's Open Meeting Law.

Under state law, a board must justify going into executive session. The reason stated for the Dec. 23 executive session was "to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining and to conduct strategy in preparation for...

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