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[Music] okay so we're going to call the meeting to order of the select board Friday February 14th it's a zoom webinar 11:30 a.m. so first we're going to call the meeting to order the second order of
business is executive session pursuant to Mass General law um chapter 30A and 21 A3 discussion strategy with expect respect to litigation the Attorney General versus the town of Milton at all number sj-1
3580 number sj-2 24- 0078 Supreme Judicial Court suffk County um so um I will take a motion to um adjourn from Open Session
enter into the executive session for a discussion regarding strategy with with uh respect to litigation filed by the Attorney General versus the town of Milton at all number SJ 13580 number SJ
202478 Supreme Judicial Court in suff County based on my belief that discussion of this matter in Open Session may have a detrimental effect on the litigating position of the select board the select board select board will not return to open session we will return to open session we will
will return sorry we will yeah come back we will yes we will all right do I hear a second I'll second all right thank you we'll do a roll call um Mr Z abstain okay Mr
cohain yes uh Mr Wells yes Miss Bradley yes and myself yes we're back in public session welcome back um I'm going to go to item three on the [Music]
agenda okay yeah good yeah I'm going to go to item three of the agenda which is um discussion and vote on approval disapproval on the town action plan forgen regulations related to M chapter
48 section 38 MBT community act um so at this point I'm ready to entertain a motion either we are going to um submit submit going to submit an
action plan at this time for the emcy regulations are not submitt so um I been will to accept the motion whether to submit or not submit I'll make a motion that we should submit to the action plan as stated and follow
the regulations as laid out by hlc second all those in favor Mr Cain Mr chair I believe we could have a discussion about this I discuss so can I can I make a can I can I make a statement about this sure thank you I I
knew you want to make one so this is how you're going to get this will be it this will be this will be it you won't hear from me much after this so for everyone listening uh my friends and my neighbors I want to make a single statement on the NBTA community's decision and for those of you who know me you'll be unsurprised that I have a little history to share
surprising specifically one of the most controversial Court decisions in Massachusetts one that set neighbor against neighbor and tried our Notions of fairness and responsibility I'm referring of course to the Boston Massacre John Adams stated in his successful defense of of the accused British soldiers that quote facts are
stubborn things and whatever may be our wishes our inclinations or the dictates of passions they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence he continued the law in all vicissitudes of governments fluctuations of passions or flights of enthusiasm will preserve a steady
undeviating course it will not Bend to the uncertain wishes imagination or wanton want and tempers of men and as someone with a temper that has been described at times as is won I have not made my feelings about Milton violating the MBTA communities act a secret in
fact the plan that was proposed uh would have resulted in an increased tax revenue including commercial revenue and would have been a boon for our town and our schools with all of the issues that we face today once the citizens of Milton voted against the zoning plan in a special election that cost the town $60,000 we could call that a town
staffer I did not stand in the way of the case which has cost the town over a quarter million of dollars let's call that two or three teachers and legal fees as well as lost funding that goes beyond that amount and what I and many others have predicted that the rule of law would find of course that towns must
follow state law and that the attorney general has the power to enforce the law came to pass with regards to the NBTA communities act the facts are indeed simple and stubborn we have lost the case the state has promulgated new guidelines no different from before and the court in its decision has said that
these guidelines are enforceable even the most creative reading of the verdict to try and glean some small comfort from the words of justices cannot ignore the fact that Milton lost on the counts that matter the law is legal and enforceable and once the guidelines are in place we will be again at the risk of lost monies
and more of course we have also lost our negotiating position with this verdict the idea that we are now in a position to tell the state how we won't obey the law was I thought ludicrous but now there seems to be a growing acceptance of lawlessness both here in town as well as in Washington DC we now have in the
White House a tyrant who rejects the rule of law who picks and chooses which Norms he will follow and by doing so threatens the very fabric of our nation in November Milton rejected trumpism resoundingly we must now reject the trumpian instinct to abandon the rule of law when we feel
like it it is of course okay to challenge a law in court but when one loses unanimously one must accept that loss and move on as best possible pretending that a loss is a victory continuing to disobey the law refusing to discuss our plans in public this is not what democracy looks at locally or
nationally when Milton voted against a new zoning plan that complied with state law it did not vote for Endless litigation at ridiculous cost born by taxpayers it did not vote for the continued forfeiture of State funding and grants which Our Town desperately needs and it did not vote to allow the planning board to spend their time
discussing lawsuits or or for the select board to meet in private without citizen input to decide the best course for our future it is time for the planning board to produce a compliant plan it is time for the select board to stop pretending that we are an Island In The Stream instead of one small special part of
this beautiful Commonwealth directly connected yes by public transit we must accept the rule of law we must plan for our future instead of clinging to an imaginary past not only because it will benefit us not only because it will make our town stronger but because following
the law is the right thing to do and it is the right example to set thank you Mr chair thank you Mr Z I can't see okay so so motion for MO seconded all those in favor Miss am I
right Miss yes this would be um Miss F no Mr Co
no Miss Bradley yes Mr Z yes and myself no so the second item of this is that do we need to vote on this we I think yeah the second the second
item is and and um I thank Mr Z of his comments I don't agree with all of it there are some things I do but we are on emergency guidelines and we still do have active litigation and I believe everyone heard what I said what is the
updates this week that um there is a perhaps A New Path there for us to take I spoken both senis I spoken greatly that he start this before I did so one of the options here was to Anchor
as a commuter Community we do have three Community spaces with 237 miles over the town as adjacent Community but so because of and as I said early tell one of them wasn't even built from the so process status so we do have a letter
here um that we will be sending to secretary Augustus um which outlines we asked an emergency guidelines we looking forward to the permanent regulations I know there is some speculation that it won't change it is we live in a Democratic Society anything can change
in any given day I learn that more and more stay in this world so we will be sending this letter we're going to take a vote to send this letter so the letter has been prepared by Mr Mala which will be sent to hlc um I would entertaining motion I'll
actually make the motion that we submit this letter to secretary ofus the letter will be public be on the to's website so people will be able to see it as I've said repeatedly and my final comment on this is that our actions today is not not
something of defiance it's about fairness and at least for me in the law protection I spent my whole life protecting the law particularly especially the citizens of this town in more ways than I can count I'm not going to get into that so we will be
submitting the sun I look forward to continue dialogue with them I thanked them hlc and the secretary for the opportunity he gave to sen just call myself this week and I my staff being able to go in there and meet with them who was at this case so given that um I
made the motion to I have a second I'll second it second by Miss mus this again will be a roll call um Miss must yes Miss Bradley no Mr
Goan yes Mr Z no and myself yes so what I we'll have it up it'll be up and I thank everyone everyone that has weighed on this and I I respect both
sides on this but this is a really tough decision and um as I said the other night when we were in discussion on the school now 02186 is is the zip code for all it's the place we call home and while we may have
different views politically at all times I think all of us SC deeply about this town it's maker it's departments its citizens it's it's citizens from the youngest to the oldest in so many ways and I have great faith uh we speak of being a person of faith I have great
faith that we will be able to bring this to um a conclusion that will be amenal to everyone there'll be no tick or tape paray but successors of life come from dialogue and I have great great faith and communication so and I thank all all
the members for their comments and their work on this regardless of their opinion on it and with that I would entertain a motion to adjourn I'll make a motion to adjourn by Miss mus do I have a second I'll second I'll second Mr Goan
Miss mustow yes Miss Bradley yes Mr zo yes Mr Cohan yes myself yes we have a thank you all a great February vacation and be safe
thank you stay warm thank you
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