Dear Editor: From 2002 to 2017, I had the privilege of serving on the Canton Planning Board. I can’t begin to imagine the number of public hearings I sat through relative to zoning articles, subdivisions, special permits, Chapter 40B (affordable housing), and scenic ways. Many of these hearings were extremely contentious, with citizens showing up […]
Recently a gentleman who writes about the history of the governors of South Dakota got curious about what the latest internet sensation — ChatGPT — might say about the oldest and youngest governors of South Dakota. Tony Venhuizen of the SoDak Governors blog published what he got back from ChatGPT regarding South Dakota’s youngest governor, […]
The following letter was sent from Ruth A. Bourquin, a senior attorney with the ACLU of Massachusetts, to Select Board Chairman Tom Theodore. *** I write on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, Inc. to share our concern about the suspension of public comment periods at meetings of the Select Board. It […]
During the public comment period at the September 12 meeting of the Canton Select Board, the board voted to abruptly adjourn the meeting, cutting off residents who had planned to speak after a couple of the speakers had gone over the allotted three-minute timeframe. To me, it was an astounding turn of events as the […]
Dear Editor: I was dismayed, to say the least, to read the article informing the random citizens of Canton that the public comment period is being suspended at Select Board meetings. I was dismayed for two reasons: Firstly, the Select Board has opted to hide from public ire to the greatest extent possible. It is […]
Dear Editor: In your story about the September 12 Select Board meeting, you said that two women “refused to yield the microphone.” That is untrue. Rita Lombardi, the first woman, did in fact yield the microphone — there were two speakers after her, including myself. After being interrupted mid-sentence to be silenced by the chair, […]
Dear Editor: I am disappointed to read that the Select Board has suspended its public comment period. I clearly remember during the height of COVID that the townspeople and many elected officials attended the Board of Health meetings and unfortunately spoke disrespectfully and with anger towards those board members when the BOH determined (during an […]
Dear Editor: Suspending public comments is absurd and a huge error by the current Select Board. Where was that despotic decision debated, behind closed doors? The timing couldn’t be worse. This current mess goes back to the last election when finicky voters didn’t pay much attention to detail. Elections have consequences and it’s coming back […]
By L. Vachon One of my day trips this summer was to the North End to enjoy the Feast of Saint Anthony. Accompanying me were two other hungry souls. The plan was to walk the festive streets to view all of the vendor offerings before deciding which ones to purchase. On our way into the […]
Dear Editor: Each response and action so far has only made it more clear how big the divide is between the insiders’ perceptions of and the reality of the crisis in confidence plaguing the town’s leaders. It strikes me that there isn’t an obvious reason why an independent group of residents should not form and […]
