Dear Editor:
RE: Marion Planning Board Minutes of 9-15-14 discussed on 12-01-14
The purpose of Meeting minutes is: (1) To record Action Points, for example, what actions have been decided; (2) Who is responsible and what the milestones and deadlines are; and (3) Minutes record summaries of the discussions held at the meeting. Minutes serve as an accountability tool.
Minutes are required in order to: (a) Confirm decisions made; (b) Record agreed actions to be taken; (c) Record who has been allocated tasks or responsibilities; (d) Prompt action from relevant attendees; (e) Provide details of the meeting to anyone unable to attend; and (f) Serve as a record of the meeting’s procedures and outcome.
The Planning Board of Marion Massachusetts meets twice a month. Its meeting minutes have been an ongoing point of contention because they do not meet consistent standards.
Issue 1
At Planning Board (PB) meetings, I have often challenged the accuracy of the minutes. I have been accused of being uncooperative, labeled contentious and not a “team” player. My concern remains: the minutes must not have the appearance (or reality) of being manipulated.
In the minutes, Mr. Lane writes, “Member Marum forcefully criticized the Board’s Assistant, Terri Santos, for failing to accurately reflect the Board’s proceedings and more specifically materially misrepresenting Member Marum’s views in her initial draft of the minutes. The comments and the tone in which they were presented resulted in Ms. Santos leaving the meeting.”
Mr. Lane’s cited reason for Ms. Santos leaving the room and his reference to my “comments and the tone” are nothing but conjecture on his part. His “opinion” and commentary are subjective and groundless and should not be in the Board’s official minutes. Review of the DVD substantiates that Mr. Lane’s claim is spurious.
Opining on “comments and tone” is not fact. There is no supportive evidence. The minutes reported by Mr. Lane’s description is subjective with no observations of measurable fact. The minutes, as drafted, are sprinkled with his personal opinions, his assumptions, interpretations and beliefs. These minutes are inaccurate, outrageous and reckless.
The DVD of September 15, 2014 should be reviewed at 1:40:04. It shows clearly that Mr. Lane’s version of the minutes is not only skewed, but misleading. Compare the sharp criticism of Jerry (Rico) Ferrari at 1:45:06 and 1:49:55 into the DVD. Terri Santos leaves the meeting at 01:44:43 after my comments which began at 01:42:46. Steve Gonsalves remarks to the effect that I was going to “get it.”
Issue 2
1. The Marion Planning Board minutes do not indicate their author. I asked who authored the September 15, 2014 minutes; Mr. Lane, clerk of the Planning Board responded that he was the author of the paragraph beginning with “Member Marum.” “Member Marum forcefully criticized the Board’s Assistant, Terri Santos, for failing to accurately reflect the Board’s proceedings and more specifically materially misrepresenting Member Marum’s views in her (Terri Santos) initial draft of the minutes.” Instead of recording the minutes objectively and accurately, Mr. Lane gratuitously opines (“forcefully criticized”) about the events. Instead, the minutes fail to reflect the facts, do not describe how board members arrived at reasonable decisions, and do not show who wrote the minutes.
2. Meeting minutes should be approved at the meeting that next follows. Yet, at the December 1, 2014 PB meeting, Board members were reviewing minutes from the September 15, 2014 meeting – a whopping eleven weeks earlier. My understanding is that it is always preferable for the minutes’ author to disseminate the minutes within 24 hours of the end of the meeting.
3. The resulting problem is that in situations of critical importance, where the record is important, there are no detailed minutes. Instead, minutes are subject to being skewed and colored reflecting the bias of the writer. Minutes should not be puffed up to burnish the reputation of several members, and thereby diminish a dissenter’s participation to the point of erasing her contributions altogether.
4. It is imperative that the minute taker sufficiently describe how board members arrived at reasonable decisions. This could give the board member legal protection if the majority approved an issue and a lawsuit is filed. Second. If one particular board member abstained on the decision, or voted against the majority, it sets that member apart from what was voted or done.
Conclusion
Minutes have been inaccurate and misleading. Mr. Lane admitted responsibility for producing the paragraph beginning with “Member Marum,” therefore I call on Mr. Lane to:
1. Apologize to me on ORCTV for deliberately misleading Marion residents about what I said and how I said it, and correct the record so as to avoid further damage to my personal and professional reputations.
2. Write a letter to the newspapers indicating his inappropriate behavior toward me and all Town residents.
3. Commit to never skew, take out of context, or treat me or anyone else unfairly in the minutes.
4. Commit to never yell at me, treat me with disdain, scorn or in a disrespectful manner.
5. Record all minutes accurately, objectively, and based on facts.
I am a volunteer who is unfortunately working in an unwelcoming, unpleasant, and demoralizing environment. I only ask for relief from the hostility.
Sincerely,
Eileen J. Marum
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