INTRO TEXT Municipal officials could be in for a rude—and costly—awakening if they don’t follow the letter of the law. The Open Meeting Law, that is.
Under bills now pending in the Legislature, a court could fine government bodies that contravene the statute up to $1,000 and each member attending the session up to $500. (Anyone who goes on record to oppose a violation of the law would be exempt from fines.) Current fines of up to $1,000 levied against local boards would be slapped on state boards as well.
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Senior Associate Editor, CommonWealth
About Gabrielle Gurley
Gabrielle covers several beats, including mass transit, municipal government, child welfare, and energy and the environment. Her recent articles have explored municipal hiring practices in Pittsfield, public defender pay, and medical marijuana, and she has won several national journalism awards for her work. Prior to coming to CommonWealth in 2005, Gabrielle wrote for the State House News Service, The Boston Globe, and other publications. She launched her media career in broadcast journalism with C-SPAN in Washington, DC. The Philadelphia native holds degrees from Boston College and Georgetown University.
About Gabrielle Gurley
Gabrielle covers several beats, including mass transit, municipal government, child welfare, and energy and the environment. Her recent articles have explored municipal hiring practices in Pittsfield, public defender pay, and medical marijuana, and she has won several national journalism awards for her work. Prior to coming to CommonWealth in 2005, Gabrielle wrote for the State House News Service, The Boston Globe, and other publications. She launched her media career in broadcast journalism with C-SPAN in Washington, DC. The Philadelphia native holds degrees from Boston College and Georgetown University.
Massachusetts requires that all local government meetings be open to the public, that notices of the meetings be posted (48 hours in advance excluding Sundays and legal holidays), and that notes of the meetings be recorded and made publicly available.
The Massachusetts Newspaper Publishers Association backs the bills, sponsored by Rep. Antonio Cabral, a New Bedford Democrat, and Sen. Stephen Brewer, a Barre Democrat, as good-government devices that would give teeth to public disclosures mandates.
Geoff Beckwith, the Massachusetts Municipal Association executive director, takes a dimmer view of the proposal. “The legislation is absurdly overreaching,” he says, arguing that such a punitive approach that would discourage citizen participation in government. With dozens of committees and boards overseeing everything from schools to cemeteries, most staffed by volunteers, there are few violations and those that do occur are quickly corrected, he says.
