Town Meeting protests Patriot Act

BRIDGEWATER -- Voters at Monday's Special Town Meeting approved a resolution protesting the USA Patriot Act.

''I am very pleased that the citizens of Bridgewater took a stand that places the American Constitution and our Bill of Rights above the Patriot Act," said Vernon Domingo, a Bridgewater State College professor and a member of the citizens group that submitted the petition article.

''This is exactly the message that should be sent from our towns and cities. We value our civil liberties, and we are not willing to surrender them to the whims of a government that passes such poorly thought-out legislation," he said.

Bridgewater voters also considered two other petitions on Monday's 20-article warrant, even though they were ruled improper by Town Counsel Mark Gildea because of their wording. A proposal to order the School Committee to amend the Bridgewater-Raynham regional schools agreement so that Bridgewater's elementary and middle schools could withdraw from the district was defeated. Prior to the vote, Gildea said there was no provision in the current agreement that allowed the School Committee to make amendments. Only a Town Meeting could decide whether the region should split up, Gildea said.

The second petition article asked voters to postpone action on a regional split until a study committee had finished considering the issue. Gildea said that article was not valid because it directed a future Town Meeting to handle the issue. Voters still passed the article.

Voters also approved a transfer of $60,000 to the Police Department budget to provide two local officers on military duty the difference between their police and military pay.

A proposal from Town Clerk Ronald Adams to amend a recently approved dog bylaw was rejected. Adams wanted to lower the fine for delinquent licensing to $25 per family, but voters kept the current fine of $25 per dog.

According to Assistant Town Clerk Jolie Martin, 227 of the town's 14,400 registered voters attended the meeting, which lasted three hours.

Christine Wallgren can be reached at CLWallgren@aol.com.