We already know of a viable candidate, don't we?
The Moderator proved last night that he is a clown. He thought it was funny dismissing Town Meeting, not until the next scheduled Town Meeting, but "dissolved".
He is a disgrace and will soon be sitting on a park bench eating peanuts with a certain reporter as they talk about who they used to be and what they used to do while sipping from a paper bag.

No...he was being a freakin' clown, just like to clown that made the motion to dissolve the night before. Their sense of humor is going to cost them their jobs.

Below is and excerpt from the Mass State web site about Disolving etc    http://www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/cistwn/twnidx.htm

i included the second part about what can happen afterwards just so people stay aware that anytying can happen. 

I have to say, i am a newbie, first TM Monday and last night and just started viewing this blog Monday as well.  I am kind of shocked at how everybody was so laid back about getting up and leaving and not expecting those weasels up on the stage to try something shadey.

It isnt over until it is over and the meeting was not over until the main weasel banged his gavel.  people should have waited anohter 10 mintues to get to a barroom to MAKE SURE all was fine.


What’s the difference among adjourning, recessing, and dissolving?

Dissolving the Town Meeting means that it is over until the next Town Meeting, which must be called by a new warrant. If the Town Meeting has not dissolved, but is taking a break, and will resume on the same day, it has recessed.

“Adjourning” is an imprecise word. It is sometimes used to mean “dissolving”; sometimes “recessing”; and sometimes that one day of the Town Meeting has ended, and that the Town Meeting will resume on a later day.


What does it mean to adjourn without day?

Adjourning without day means that the Town Meeting has dissolved. Adjourning without day is also called adjourning sine day (pronounced “si-nee day” or “si-nee die”). In other words, the Town Meeting has adjourned without setting another day to reconvene. A new warrant is needed to reconvene.


After the Representative Town Meeting Dissolves
Do I have control over the votes of Town Meeting Members?

Generally, yes. In some towns, the votes of representative Town Meetings do not take effect until a certain number of days after the Town Meeting expires. In other towns, only votes on certain subjects do not take effect immediately.

In all towns, votes on the following subjects do not take effect for seven days, not counting Sundays and holidays: special appropriations of $20,000 or more; establishing, abolishing, or merging town boards or offices; establishing a term of office for town officers; changing the number of a town board’s members; adopting a new by-law and amending an existing by-law.


To try to overturn decisions described in the previous paragraph, voters may circulate petitions within seven days after Town Meeting dissolved. The petition must be signed by at least 3% of the town’s voters, with their names and addresses. The petition must be filed with the selectmen.


To try to overturn other decisions by a representative Town Meeting, voters should check their respective towns’ by-laws yes or no. No action of a representative town meeting can be reversed unless at least 20% of the registered voters vote to do such.


Petitions to overturn representative Town Meeting decisions go to the Board of Selectmen. The Selectmen then schedule an election at which the following question appears on the ballot: “Should the town vote to approve the action of the representative Town Meeting whereby it was voted [brief description of the vote]?” Voters go to the polls and vote yes or no.


For more details, look at your town’s by-laws.

They are idots but not morons - well most of them are - I think the leader of them, The Mayor,  is an absoutely jerk but he is on the ball and has nothing better to do than try to get things done no matter what.  you cannot get lazy and let them slip something by, at any time, at any meeting.  That could have happened last night while everybody was running out to get the best seat at the bar.

Town Meeting Time Section 61--A motion to dissolve or adjourn sine die requires a second and a majority vote; may not be debated, amended or reconsidered, and many not interrupt a speaker.
Dissoluton ends the meeting altogether. The town cannot be brought together again except pursuant to a new warrant. Whatever may have been the rules regarding reconsideration of action taken or not taken, once the meeting has dissolved the action taken by it may not be reconsidered, except pursuant to an article for the purpose in the warrant for a future meeting. In representative town meetings, the difference between adjournment and dissolution is even more significant. Much, if not all, of the important action voted will not take effect until a certain number of days after the meeting dissolves. In open meetings, the distinction is less important, but the final motion properly should be "to dissolve". A motion to dissolve the meeting, (or to adjourn without day," which has the same effect) is not in order as long as any article in the warrant remains undisposed of........


The differences between "adjourn" and "dissolving" a meeting can best explained in this way. After the first night of town meeting, if you have more business to conduct, you would want to "adjourn" the meeting to the next night, or next week, or a date in the future, so you can finish what is on the warrant. You would specify a day and time that you want to come back.

If your were to "dissolve" the meeting sine die, you would not be able to come back and finish your articles because you are ending the meeting without setting a date and time to come back. You have ended the meeting, period. That's why the motion to dissolve is not in order when you still have unfinished business and the motion to adjourn is the correct method.

Just to alleviate your minds, the moderator did not jeopardize any of the votes or any of the matters that came before us. Since all of the town business had been completed it was a motion that in most cases is a good way to end the town meeting.

However, there was a motion already on the floor to adjourn, it had received a second. That was sufficient to end the meeting. In my  opinion, and my opinion only, for the moderator to move to "dissolve" the meeting was an unnecessary action ( by the way, the moderator shouldn't make the motion, it should be from the floor).

The first evening, when Selectwoman Ekstrom made her motion to dissolve, the moderator should have declared the motion out of order. He didn't. He should have. He erred, in my opinion.

On another point, having the Board of Selectmen make the main motions is also a matter that bears discussion. In most cities and towns, it is the Finance Committee who presents the main motions, for good reason. This moderator and the Board of Selectmen have now hijacked town meeting.

WHAAAAT!!!! wrote:

They are idots but not morons - well most of them are - I think the leader of them, The Mayor,  is an absoutely jerk but he is on the ball and has nothing better to do than try to get things done no matter what.  you cannot get lazy and let them slip something by, at any time, at any meeting.  That could have happened last night while everybody was running out to get the best seat at the bar.

I agree with you as far as not leaving the TM until the gavel has been sounded.    I HIGHLY disagree with your statement ending, "while everybody was running out to get the best seat at the bar."

BOS & Town Meetings are a bore when you have winded speakers, but this is their right.  Some people like to be seen or heard.  We have to tolerate this, but this is what can drag the meeting.   Bruce especially, is a wind bag who is trying to pick his words carefully or doesn't know the proper word to use, which slows down the meetings.  Most of the people that I saw leaving, of the ones that I knew - they were going home to bed.  They were either seniors or  hard workers who get up by 5am to leave for work.  Possibly some were going to a bar, but your comment was out of line.

I am a new member to this site and not a wonderful speaker or a great writer, but I will do my best.  This life long town resident, tax payer, and admirer of this area is disgusted with this BOS and the direction this town has been taking in the past few years or more.  Every article that is put forth will effect us and it was a great relief to me to see so many at the TM to make their voices heard, either verbal, saying yes or no, or raising that voter's slip.  I would say to counter someone's claim of special interest groups, the only special group is its citzens and it's my personal belief the citzens spoke on all of the articles not just one, yes people did leave but that is what it is and they should not until that gavel is dropped for the final time to be sure that all this hard work is not vain.  So in closing I would urge that the residents of this great town let their voices be heard at every single TM and therefore any board member would not be able to call any of its residents "an asshole, who only shows up for these meetings every five years", that quote maybe a little off, not word for word, and I may fall into this catagory also but I maintain that I do and will continue to pay my taxes to the Town of Wareham therefore not giving up my right to attend these meetings every five years if I so chose.  I know I said I was closing but believe you me this willl not be a regular occurance for me, I will make every effort to attend every TM as humanly possible.  No more silence from this taxpayer!

BornofWareham, my aplogies for a poor choice in phrases describing the exodus from the meeting but all in all, everybody sat there for 2 nights, whats another 15 minutes to make sure it is right.

a couple of points regarding Town meetings, responding to prior postings.

1. I agree, and so stated, that Brenda's motion was out-of-order. the comments by Maturevoter extend my thoughts on that. the Moderator flat out blew it.

2. Be careful, in describing the rules, to distinguish between an open town meeting as you have in Wareham, and a representative Town meeting. In an open Town meeting, any registered voter can enter, debate, and vote. this form is not limited as to numbers; so if thousands show up, they must be accomodated. Didn't Middleborough have a town meeting outdoors at their football stadium when the proposed casino was among the articles?

In a representative town meeting, however, only the ELECTED town meeting members can debate (with the exception of the Moderator's request to the body, of course) and VOTE. It is more like the State legislature. The town meeting reps are usually elected by precinct, in the Town elections.

Being more familiar with open town meeting, I must confess that my knowledge of the rules & procedures for representative TM are limited. More research, comin' up.

3. In TMs I attended in the past, the wareham fincom WAS the presenter of the warrant articles, disclosed the vote of the warrant committee, was the first to comment on the article, and the first in line to offer amenments. And, this is the practice that I have seen in other Towns. When and how did that change? After the mass resignations?

NAL, I posted this yesterday, but I think it explains the roles to be "played"
Also, I defer to your experience. That's why I need Wiki.

From Wiki:
An open town meeting is a form of municipal legislature, typical in the New England region of the United States.

In Massachusetts, for example...[1] The Board of Selectmen call the town meeting into existence by issuing the warrant, which is the list of items--known as articles--to be voted on, with descriptions of each article. The Moderator officiates the meeting by reading each article, explaining it, and making sure the rules of parliamentary procedure are followed, interprets voice votes and counts other votes. The Finance Committee makes recommendations on articles dealing with money, and often drafts the proposed budget. The Town Clerk serves as the clerk of the meeting by recording its results. Town Counsel makes legal recommendations on all articles of the warrant, to ensure town meeting is acting lawfully. All registered voters are free to attend and vote on any and all articles in the open town meeting.

PShooter
TAKEBACKWAREHAM

This whole situation is upside down !!  We are being portrayed as revolutionaries when in fact we are the ones trying to protect what America is all about !