News

No room for hospitality in meeting law


Published: October 4, 2008

Newburyport's School Committee meeting scheduled to take place last night at the home of Vice Chair Gordon Bechtel was cancelled due to concerns the meeting location violated the "spirit" of the open meeting laws.

Bechtel sent out word to fellow members that while he originally planned the meeting as a means to discuss goals of the district, he changed course after reading that the Essex County Open Meeting Law Manual states, "Meetings should not be held in places that may suggest that the public is not welcome, such as private homes or meeting spaces in private businesses or clubs, or far from the community."

In order to comply with providing 48 hours' notification to the public, it was decided to cancel the meeting rather than find another location.

The Committee will decide at Monday's scheduled meeting an appropriate rescheduling time and location to discuss these goals.