BELCHERTOWN — The Select Board is considering on a new policy against taking a stand on state and federal issues that do not directly impact the town, with members noting that taking such positions does not help them govern effectively.
“The bottom line is, in order for us to work effectively, we have to look beyond our differences and instead focus on town matters,” Select Board Chair Lesa Pearson said at board’s Nov. 3 meeting.
The discussion is being prompted by residents over the last couple of months who have requested the board’s support on resolutions regarding different federal and state issues. The issue came to a head on Nov. 3 when residents Dorothy Cresswell and Dusty Miller presented the board more than 400 signatures in support of “A Resolution Requesting Adherence to the United States Constitution.” The one-page document reinforces the authority of the Constitution as the supreme law that all governing bodies must adhere to.
“There’s a strong support and interest in the town and as I said in my letter to you, we’re hoping this can be seen as a unifying, common ground resolution,” Cresswell said to the board.
Cresswell presented the resolution at three different public comment periods prior where she read the resolution and defended its importance. The board did not respond during the meetings to Cresswell’s comments during public comment, nor when she was on the agenda at the Nov. 3 meeting.
Amherst, Shutesbury and Easthampton passed similar resolutions albeit with some dissension. Unlike resolutions passed by other communities, the document pitched in Belchertown does not refer to President Donald Trump or his administration, but rather reaffirms that all government officials, agencies and institutions must follow, enforce and uphold the Constitution.
“I know this isn’t a town issue, but I think it’s important for me, as an American, to bring this as a larger issue as many towns are discussing it,” Miller said.
The board opted not to comment on the resolution, nor talk with Miller and Cresswell directly despite their appointment on the agenda. Rather, members focused on whether they should be addressing state and federal matters as a group.
“What Dorothy and Dusty did is give an opportunity for us to really look at what is our role and what things should we be talking about [and] what things really aren’t for this board to discuss,” Pearson said during the meeting.
Town Manager Steve Williams said that in Belchertown the Select Board acts as the executive branch, while Town Meeting is the legislative branch. Therefore, it may be outside of the board’s purview to adopt the democracy resolution.
Municipalities like Easthampton or Amherst have a city or town council, respectively, acts as the legislative branch, so they do not have this problem, he said. Shutesbury, however, has a similar governmental structure to Belchertown.
“I was blissfully unaware that there might already be some mandate surrounding the role of a Select Board within a municipality and I don’t understand how other towns are dealing with that,” Select Board Member Jennifer Turner said.
However, Select Board Member Nicole Miner said that if the board sends some resolutions to Town Meeting over others due to the breadth of the issue and the time sensitivity, then the body appears to give more resolutions weight than others.
Instead, she suggests that the board hear nothing on state or federal issues unless it directly impacts Belchertown. The board all agreed on the idea and created a subcommittee to write the policy. The document will be discussed at the board’s next meeting.
“[We’ll] continue to respect each other like we have been all of this time,” Miner said.
