Meeting law violation

April 10, 2008

The Norfolk District Attorney's Office has ruled the Cohasset School Committee violated the Open Meeting Law on Jan. 10 when it did not properly cite the reason for an executive session. Resident Howie Altholtz filed the complaint against the School Committee in March, after reviewing the panel's executive session minutes. The committee had stated that the closed session was to discuss ongoing litigation. While the committee did discuss a legal case, it went on to discuss another suit, not directly related to Cohasset, that had been filed against Superintendent Denise Walsh when she held the same post in Middleborough. In that case, a victim of child rape, along with his parents, filed a civil rights complaint against Walsh and the Middleborough School Committee for negligence, alleging parents should have been told that a particular teacher had been forced to abruptly resign. The rape occurred soon after the teacher left. Last week, Cohasset School Committee chairman Richard Flynn acknowledged the improper executive session held by his panel. Altholtz had pursued the issue because he believes Cohasset does not sufficiently disclose to parents the reasons for abrupt staff resignations. - Christine Legere

CASINO SUPPORTERS VICTORIOUS - The outcome of last Saturday's race for two seats on the Board of Selectmen could be interpreted as another endorsement by Middleborough voters of the proposed Mashpee Wampanoag casino in town. Incumbent Marsha Brunelle, who had been the target of a recall movement just months ago, emerged as the top vote getter in the seven-way contest, securing 892 votes. The other opening on the board was secured by Muriel Duphily, who has no previous political experience but who has been a vocal supporter of the local casino proposal. Duphily received 850 votes. The pair defeated some veterans of various town offices, including former selectman Ted Eayrs, who had recently served on the Board of Assessors, and Michael O'Shaugnessy, a member of the Conservation Commission. Both Eayrs and O'Shaughnessy, when the casino debate was hot last summer, said they were opposed to the casino but believed the town must protect itself by signing an agreement with the tribe. Two outspoken casino opponents, Gregory Stevens and Jessie Powell, were also defeated, although Stevens amassed 692 votes, enough to finish in third place. Thomas Murphy, a recent addition to the local Gas and Electric Commission, secured only 143 votes. - Christine Legere

ELECTRICAL UPGRADE - Residents and businesses south of Boston should have more reliable and less costly electricity in about a year's time, thanks to some system upgrades NStar plans. The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities has approved new transmission lines for Carver, Middleborough, Rochester, and Wareham. The lines will be run through the area via existing rights of way, from the Carver substation to the Tremont substation in Wareham. The upgrade should allow the area to import all the power it needs without having to rely on local generation, officials said. "It will give us the ability to have another set of transmission lines supplying power to the area from the north," said NStar spokesman Mike Durand. According to Department of Public Utilities chairman Paul Hibbard, the changes will cut costs for ratepayers by reducing reliance on the Mirant Canal power plant in Sandwich. "Customers will benefit from less expensive alternatives without sacrificing power supply reliability," Hibbard said. - Christine Legere