82°
GRAFTON, Mass. - TheDailyGrafton.com accepts signed letters to the editor. Letters may be emailed to jpaluzzi@mainstreetconnect.us.
To all Candidates:
Town Meeting is Monday May 14th. Election day is Tuesday the 15th. This is an unusual situation. Normally Town Meeting is after the annual election. With that being said, I just want to state the rules for campaigning at Town Meeting.
- Signs and standouts will be allowed, outside only, and not within 150 feet of the entrance to the auditorium. The closest location for standouts and signs is the corner of the gymnasium closest to Providence Road.
- No signs, stickers, buttons or anything else with a candidates name on it will be allowed in the auditorium or lobby of the building at any time.
My goal is to focus on the business of the Town Meeting and not on the election. If anyone has any questions concerning this, please contact me.
Ray Mead
Town Moderator
Comments (10)
What if people came into town meeting, each wearing a single letter on their shirt. When then all sat in a row together, it spelled out a candidate's name. :-)
Would Ray split them up?
Mike, the 11th hour comment was not an attempt to discredit your efforts. I was speaking generally to any candidate about the perception of campaigning at Town Meeting which rubs many people the wrong way. I laud your efforts and hard work and hitting the pavement. I truly appreciate it because that was me back in 2008. Your efforts are paying off, people are noticing you and you're picking up steam at just the right time. So, in the end......you already have my vote. This is my last post on this string...........I think I'm all worded out.......can that be? Good luck on Tuesday...........and spread the word to attend Town meeting.
Mr. Scully, you make good points in rebuttal to my comments and certainly the Curnin case is not the perfect reference to entirely support my argument. Yes, a small sticker or pin would not "interfere with people checking in or compromise the integrity of our legislative process". I don't object to that but where does it end? You then turn the focus of the Moderator from running the meeting to policing everyone's behavior with countless regulations on what he would or wouldn't allow. My concern is more focused on the inside of the auditorium. How large a pin would you allow? How large a hat? CVEMS (sound familiar?) campaign messages allowed? At what point does it become distracting? As long as someone is sitting in the back row, how about a bouquet of political ballons? Perhaps a big foam hand you see at football games? Maybe we speak to every warrant article/motion for the sole purpose of everyone looking in our direction to see who we're endorsing (I'm being facetious, so pleeeeaaaaase do not attempt this). In the end, we come together subject to a Warrant, the subject matter contained therein. That's the purpose of the meeting, to address those issues. If you so choose and legitimately wish to speak to the merits of a motion, you could always open with, "Mr. Moderator,Mike Scully, 65 N. Main Street and candidate for Planning Board, so don't forget to vote for me tomorrow......" I'm just not sure how far it would get you. The whole button and pin thing in this setting just seems, in my opinion to be an 11th hour desperate attempt to be noticed. Trust me, people who have made the effort to show up at Town Meeting know who is running for office. Anyway, Mike......thank you for throwing your hat in the ring and running for office.
@Grafton Roger Good points. All things need to be done in moderation but the rogue actions of a few bad apples should not permanently eliminate the ability for others to do something. As far as your claim of this being an "11th hour desperate attempt to be noticed" - that could not be further from the truth or my intent.
During this campaign I have worked hard to meet as many voters in town as possible, holding standouts almost every Friday for the past 2 months, attending every Planning Board meeting, knocking on over 400 doors, visiting businesses, marching in a parade and saying hi to people at sports games, other committee meetings and at the supermarket.
I do not "need" to be at town meeting to be noticed. My comments are on principle, speech and making myself accessible to the voters. I don't take voters for granted just because I am on the ballot, hold a sign or wear a sticker, I want people to know that I am accessible and I am working hard to earn their vote. Town meeting brings out those exact people whose vote I am trying to earn. I humbly ask for one of your two Planning Board votes on Tuesday and hope to say hello in person - maybe at town meeting.
Cheers,
Mike Scully
Candidate for Planning Board
www.mikescully.org
Thank you Ray for your letter and blog. Anything which could interfere with people checking in or compromise the integrity of our legislative process (yup, Town Meeting is a legislature, Mr. Scully) should not be allowed. So, Mr. Scully, this is not a First Amendment issue. Simply go on Google and search the forum analysis in the 2007 First Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Curnin vs.the Town of Egremont, MA. Contained therein is also the point that there are no explicit federal consitutional protections which cover state or local legislative bodies. In my opinion, the reasonable buffer zone Mr. Mead has put in place is rightfully under his authority as Moderator to regulate under Ma. General Law. Let's do the business of the town and move on.
@GraftonRoger - I understand your point, but I believe you are missing my point. I am not questioning the buffer zone, or not allowing signs into a public building, claiming viewpoint discrimination, nor did I make a claim that town meeting was not a legislative process. Since your comment doesn't specifically address the core of my argument, in your opinion, how does a name tag, a sticker with someones name or a name on a person's clothing "interfere with people checking in or compromise the integrity of our legislative process"?
Further, your reference of Curnin v Town of Egremont is not relevant because my comments are not about advocating a right to "address the governing body" as either a registered voter or a "non-member" as was argued in this case. The finding of this case, while addressing one form of "speech", does not directly limit ALL speech of any kind.
My comment merely states that I should be able to wear a sticker, a button or a shirt with my name on it, which I believe would not interfere or compromise town business in any way.
Limiting the free speech of those looking to give of their time and money to serve the voters of this town is never a good policy regardless of the potential "good intentions". Town meeting is all about politics so to limit one type of politics while conducting the political business of the town, does not serve the town or the voter well. An informed voter is a good voter whether it is voting for an article at town meeting or a candidate who will represent them doing the town's business. Not allowing signs into a building is one thing but controlling what speech is or is not on ones clothing is a reach. Candidates at the very least should be allowed to represent themselves and provide the voters the opportunity to meet them no matter where they are in town.
Mr Scully,
Town meeting is a business meeting not a political venue. Politics are not discussed at this meeting. My directions concerning candidates whether local or state on signs and locations have not changed since I have been moderator. This is an unusual situation because the election is after the Town Meeting. As I have said we will focus on the business of the Town and not politics. You are more than welcome to greet people and hold signs 150' from the entrance to the auditorium. I am not limiting free speech, I am just trying to do the business of the Town. If you would like to discuss this please call me.
Ray Mead
Town Moderator
The Scully for everything committee respects the Moderator's request, because we know that the Scully for everything campaign is not just a campaign, but a lifestyle. Scullheads don't need to interfere with town meeting and that's why Sir Scully will place their best body guard Chuck Norris at town meeting's front door, just to keep those other creeps out. Sir Scully wishes that everyone will attend town meeting, because he wants to show off some parliamentary moves he's learned on yesterday's international visit with the popularly elected president of Syria, Bashar al-Assad. The Russian girl twins that broke into the Scully for everything campaign headquarters, Scully's Temple, have been identified as the daughters from a Russian/Syrian love tryst. Our best secret service agent Chuck Norris is working to bring these beautiful women back to Grafton, to prove to all, that he really did slip on a block of ice in the middle of the room.
I applaud the Moderator's directives, I wish some other organizations did the same. By allowing and even inviting candidates to youth events loses the focus of why we are there in the first place. This is a local election and need to keep that in mind going forward.