The Stockbridge Democratic Town Committee
To the Select Board:
From Anita Schwerner, Chair
Governor Baker’s mandate that all public meetings have a remote component is set to expire on April 1, 2022.
At the January 22, 2022, meeting of the Stockbridge Democratic Town Committee a motion was passed to request that the Select Board support an article on the upcoming Town Warrant requiring that all public meetings in Stockbridge have a remote component. We ask also that the Select Board include an item on its next meeting agenda to discuss our proposal and vote on supporting a warrant article that requires the continuation of hybrid and remote meetings
At our meeting we discussed the importance of transparency in local government as well as the value of hybrid and remote meetings in enabling an informed electorate. Although the need for hybrid meetings came as a response to COVID-19, the ability to watch and participate in meetings in real time as well as to access them anytime on CTSBTV has been widely embraced by the residents of Stockbridge, both full and part-time.
At the July 15, 2021, Select Board hybrid meeting, second homeowners stated that remote meetings are extremely valuable for them and they appreciate being able to participate in town meetings. They asked that the Zoom option be continued to enable them to attend more town board and committee meetings which are held during the week.
Meetings with a remote option have the advantage of enabling participation from home or anywhere in the world. The availability of Zoom meetings has increased participation among residents and members of the public who find it difficult to attend in person due to a wide variety of reasons including harsh winter weather, inability to travel, illness or concern over exposure to illness, and conflicts with work or family obligations.
As a first step, the members of the Stockbridge Democratic Town Committee ask that the Select Board place an item on their next meeting agenda so that they can discuss and vote on supporting the requested warrant article. Thank you for your consideration.
