March 20, 2019 by Carol Britton Meyer
Town Moderator Michael Puzo "spoke" and the Selectmen listened.
Last night's Selectmen's agenda called for a possible vote "to request the Advisory Committee recommend a paper ballot vote by town meeting participants relative to Article MM (Water Company Acquisition)" but that didn't happen.
That's because in response to a March 18 letter to the board written by Puzo, that item was dropped.
The purpose of Puzo's letter -- which Selectmen Chairman Paul Healey read last night at Puzo's request and entered into the public record -- was to discourage the Selectmen from their intention to ask the Advisory Committee to recommend a paper ballot for this controversial issue at the April 22 Town Meeting.
Before reading it Healey said, "We received a letter from the Town Moderator, who is reasonable in his request."
After reading the letter Healey went on to the next agenda item without comment. When asked by the Hingham Anchor after the meeting why the agenda item concerning a paper ballot was not addressed, Healey said, "Because the Town Moderator's message was clear. I read his letter at the meeting, which was what he asked explicitly for me to do. He calls the shots on the ballot [and in his letter] laid out how it’s done. That’s his role and it was an implicit reminder to us to stay within our own authority and he will do the same."
There was a mix-up during the public comment period at the beginning of the meeting. After Healey asked if there were any comments from the audience, James O'Hare, a member of the Keep Aquarion group, didn't hear the announcement due to background noise in the room so failed to respond.
After Healey went on to the next agenda item and toward the end of the meeting as well, O'Hare asked to speak but Healey said the time to do so had passed. He suggested that anyone who had not had a chance to speak last night return next week. "You had your head down when you announced the public comment period," O'Hare said.
Healey said next week he will be sure to look up when he announces it's time for public comments.
" I honestly did not [initially] hear anyone say they wanted to speak and was looking at the next item on the agenda," Healey told the Anchor.
Resident Judy Kelley, another member of Keep Aquarion, told the Anchor after the meeting that she was disappointed that Resident Ted Matthews, who attended the meeting, hadn't had a chance to speak about the 480 signatures that have been collected in support of placing the four warrant articles related to the town's proposal to purchase the Aquarion water system serving Hingham, Hull, and part of Cohasset early on the warrant for Town Meeting. This is so citizens who have to get up early or others who may retire at an early hour will be able to attend the meeting, regardless of which side of the issue they are on.
"We waited through the whole agenda hoping to be able to speak. We'll be back next week," Kelley said. "I just hope it's not too late [to make this happen]."
There are four warrant articles on the April 22 Town Meeting agenda relating to the proposed acquisition of the water company by the Town of Hingham. They relate to the acquisition itself, appointing the Hingham Selectmen as water commissioners, establishing a (self-supporting) water system enterprise fund, and appropriating money to cover transition costs if the proposed acquisition wins voter approval.