To Viewers of Monday Night's Selectmens' Meeting,
• What was that?
Jun 8, 2010 – Just as the gavel was about to go down for adjournment, Selectman Pam Slye jumped up from her seat at the Board table, ran to the public podium, and gave a campaign speech. Other selectmen said appropriate quick words urging people to vote, without suggesting how those votes should go, and they stayed seated. Pam was reiterated her claim to have made 1200 calls to voters recently, praised everyone and their uncle except for the "special interests" she feels are interfering in town government, and for some reason, she had to do this from the public podium. Why?
Of course it couldn't really have been a campaign speech, because those are not allowed on Government Access TV, which is what ours is until the Public Access status begins Sept. 1. You may remember that campaigning is one of the things that Steve Libby says the town attorney has advised cable MUST not be used for, as it currently stands. (Once we are public access, there will be a very even-handed protocol for political speech, and it won't include just one candidate being allowed to give a speech.)
And it couldn't have been public participation, because that happened, per SOP, much earlier in the evening, as an agenda item, and was not tabled to the end.
Hard as I look, I can't see where that outburst fit into the agenda. And yet Steve Libby did not rule her out of order.
I'm not writing this letter to change votes: if that were my aim, I would have sent this at 10 last night. I'm am just unwilling to let this misuse of public broadcasting and disrespect of public process go unmentioned. When all is said and done, I don't just disagree with Steve and Pam - I am embarrassed by their conduct. And whether they are our selectmen come next month or not, I want them to know.
Penny Hilton
New Gloucester
