All meetings in Truro are remote only. Go to truro-ma.gov and click on the meeting you want to watch. The agenda includes instructions on how to join.
Thursday, Nov. 18
- School Council, 3:30 p.m.
- Housing Authority, 4:15 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 19
- Open Space Committee, 12:30 p.m.
- Board of Library Trustees, 3:30 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 22
- Local Comprehensive Plan Committee, 10 a.m.
- Climate Action Committee, 10 a.m.
- Charter Review Committee, 4 p.m.
- Zoning Board of Appeals hearing, 5:30 p.m.
Conversation Starters
Zoning Board of Appeals
The select board, in a 2-2 vote on Nov. 9, rejected David Crocker’s application to serve as an alternate on the zoning board of appeals (ZBA). Crocker is married to Sue Areson, a member of the select board. Their relationship worried some board members who said potential conflicts could make it hard to maintain a quorum.
“It would concern me if either you and/or Sue had to recuse yourselves,” said Robert Weinstein, chair of the select board.
Board member Kristen Reed asked Crocker about his “vision for the future” of Truro with respect to ZBA decisions. Crocker asked how much his vision “should really be applicable there,” as the ZBA “tries to be fair.”
“How do you feel about the direction the town of Truro is going with projects like the Cloverleaf, the Walsh property, etc.?” Reed asked.
About the Cloverleaf, Crocker replied, “That’s a done deal, so my feelings on that aren’t too important.” On the Walsh property, he said, “I’d like to see the town take their time and figure out what they want to do with it. It’s a great open piece of property.”
The interview questions returned as a topic during the public comment period of the select board’s Nov. 16 meeting. Joan Holt read a letter that began: “While the board struggles to fill vacancies on town committees, it has just signaled that you needn’t apply — unless your vision for the future of Truro mirrors their own.”
Holt called Reed’s questioning improper, “as was the insulting suggestion that because he is a relative of a member of the select board, he poses a risk of violation of the conflict-of-interest law.”
Anne Greenbaum, chair of the planning board, chimed in, criticizing the board for discussing hypothetical quorum problems, but “offering no factual basis for this.” Greenbaum concluded by asking the board to take up the improvement of its own interview process.
But Bob Panessiti, chair of the finance committee, disagreed. “It is important in the functioning of government that the select board appoint certain regulatory bodies that follow and adhere to what their governance and philosophy of the town is,” he said.
The select board’s Sue Areson raised concerns about a “seriously flawed interview process.” She criticized the board’s seeking her husband’s opinion on town issues. “His opinions are irrelevant in any case before the zoning board of appeals, which must decide based on the facts of that specific case,” she said. —Jasmine Lu
