Letter: Support Article 1 tonight (with updated amendment and legal opinion)

[Ed note: My Southborough accepts signed letters to the editor submitted by Southborough residents. Letters may be emailed to mysouthborough@gmail.com.]

To the Editor:

I am writing to your reader base to encourage and empower the hundreds of people that signed the citizen’s petition to reinstate the quorum of 4 and the public hearing process to the ZBA rules and regulations to come at 7pm tonight and vote in favor of Article 1.

I will present the article at the start of tonight’s Special Town Meeting at 7pm. I will slightly amend the language on the floor (amended language attached and will be available in fliers at a table-Hoolahan proposed amendment).

This is not a controversy, this our right as citizen’s of the town to let the town and the ZBA know that we were happy with the rules and regs as they had existed in the town code until they were removed in March of 2018 and that having a quorum of 4, ability to ensure public comment and requirements of conflict of interest are all highly valued by this town’s taxpayers and registered voters and we do not want them to go away.

The Town had special counsel provide his comments on the article and I am providing your reader base with the legal opinion from the office of Blatman Bobrowski & Haverty, LLC. (BBH Opinion final Revised attached). All of which will also be available at the meeting tonight at the tables in the Trottier lobby.

I am hopeful that people can make the time to attend tonight’s meeting and remember that 4 is simply better to ensure robust decisions on town zoning issues. Thank you Beth for posting and all of your MySouthborough reader’s for allowing this type of communication.

Thank you,
Marnie Hoolahan
Mhoolahan@verizon.net