In the past few weeks, I have attended seven meetings, either in person or on Zoom, including Select Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, Precinct 3, Board of Health, Community Preservation Committee and Advisory & Financial Committee. I have been learning a lot and wanting to find ways to become more involved and informed.
I’d like to share some observations from the two Select Board meetings (February 25 and March 4).
1. Parklets in downtown Plymouth: I appreciate Mr. Quintal abstaining from the vote as he recognized his conflict of interest. Wouldn’t that also mean he would refrain from speaking on that issue?
2. Board of Health: Mr. Golden commented that our BOH seems to be accelerating the rate of banning things. It is commendable our BOH is proactive about the health of our people and our ecosystem.
I was shocked when Mr. Brindisi responded, “This is a hyperactive BOH,” and that they were acting more like an elected BOH than an appointed one. What does that mean? Is that a compliment about how hard they are working? Or is he insinuating that there is overreach?
3. Protest in public buildings: Mr. Bletzer stated it was brought to his attention that folks “protesting” at [the] ZBA the night before were disruptive, and that respect should go both ways. He continued that he had talked to the town clerk to see what laws were on the books as regards [to] that. Mr. Bletzer was clear that he had not attended the meeting but was unclear how he came to his assessment.
The ZBA chair interrupted a public speaker, a member of the Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe. She was passionate in her presentation but not disrespectful. In fact, Mr. [Michael] Main [the chair] interrupted her several times and raised his voice.
4. Public comment at Select Board meetings: Two weeks in a row, Meg Sheehan spoke during public comment. Her presentation was respectful, straightforward, and succinct. The first week, Mr. Brindisi suggested she was lying and dismissed her comments. The second week, the board had absolutely no response to her. I found the response of the board and the town manager to be unprofessional and disrespectful.
I expect that our Select Board will work to secure the rights to free speech and peaceful assembly for all our citizens; that they will treat all citizens with respect and dignity; and that they will respect the hard work of other town entities. Thank you for your service to the town. I appreciate your time.
– Jenny Healy
Editor’s note: To clarify, at the Feb. 25 Select Board meeting, Town Manager Derek Brindisi said this about Meg Sheehan: “True to form, Ms. Sheehan has provided a lot of misinformation to the community, but that’s to be expected as of late.”