The meeting in the elementary school gym, scheduled over a month ago, had become a lightning rod of local controversy as COVID-19 transmission ticked up along with local case rates and hospitalizations. A legal effort to call off the event was denied by Berkshire Superior Court Judge Maureen Hogan earlier in the day, but she issued a mandate that attendees had to wear masks. It wasn’t the only official challenge the meeting faced.
“There’s a filed ADA claim against the town of Williamstown and holding this meeting at this location," said Town Moderator Adam Filson. "So the question was whether or not the claim has any validity on continuing annual town meeting, either at this location or at any other location, whether that the claim has any effect on the validity of the meeting itself or voting for or against continuing to meet or rescheduling the meeting.”
Seconds after the meeting was gaveled to order, the first order of business was the motion to adjourn the meeting until June 14th in the larger Mount Greylock Regional School.
“I know we're all sick of the virus. I'm sure many of us feel like, we’re vaccinated, we’re masked, we’re boosted, let’s get on with this," said Alison Case. “Hospitalizations in Berkshire County in the last 14 days are up 164%. Massachusetts deaths in the last 14 days are up 72%. If you compare across Massachusetts to this time last year, the number of hospitalizations in people 70 years or older are up 255% over this time last year. Hospitalizations in those 60 years and over are up 163% over this time last year. This virus is still making people very sick. It is still killing people. I for one do not want to have a town meeting in which the voices of many of the elderly and of the most vulnerable and of people who care for them are disproportionately excluded.”
Recently elected select board member Randal Fippinger read a statement from the town’s Diversity, Inclusivity, Racial Equity committee, of which he is also a member.
“In order to provide a more inclusive opportunity and greater democratic participation by the citizens of Williamstown in the open town meeting during this continued period of COVID-19, the Diversity, Inclusion, and Racial Equity Advisory Committee supports a motion from the floor of open town meeting on May 17th, 2022, to adjourn the town meeting to another fixed time, at a later date, and a larger venue," said Fippinger. "Unanimously adopted by roll call vote.”
“Throughout this pandemic, our town government has done a very good job of dealing with it. We've been imaginative, flexible in our thinking, and we have protected our citizens. I am respectful of the fact that the decision was made to hold this meeting indoors. But the conditions have changed dramatically since then," said Roger Lawrence, who said a petition to adjourn the meeting he’d posted the night prior had received the support of 123 Williamstowners to move the meeting to Mount Greylock on June 14th. “It's a safer venue, regardless of whether the pandemic numbers have improved or not. Of those 123, 89 are people who have signed on and stated they're not going to come to the meeting, period. So given the numbers of people who show up at the town meeting, we just lost 89 voters. 89 people of our town will not be represented of we hold the meeting here tonight. I think it's crucial that the decisions that we make gain public approval and have the legitimacy of our knowledge that our decisions are accepted and is the will of our voters. And I fear very much that if we continue and hold the meeting tonight, that we may be legislating and making important decisions that do not represent the people of our town.”
An effort to move the date up to before May 30th was deemed out of order. In a 149 to 49 vote, the annual Williamstown town meeting was adjourned until June 14th at 7 p.m. in the Mount Greylock Regional School gym. The 49 article warrant includes a proposition to rezone residential districts and revisions to the town charter related to town manager candidate requirements.
