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Select Board declines request to admit member Morgan for remote participation
Summary
A motion to permit Select Board member Morgan to participate remotely failed after a roll-call vote; board members cited recent absences and the town handbook and RSA provisions were read during debate.
The Brentwood Select Board voted against allowing Select Board member Morgan to participate remotely at the meeting on July 17, 2025, after a roll-call vote failed to secure consent from a majority of members physically present. The board chair asked for a motion to admit Morgan remotely; a second was recorded, and the chair then held a roll-call in which several members voted no, so the motion did not carry.
Jay, reading from the town handbook, told the board and public that "the provisions of, RSA 91 a 2, Grama 3 shall apply to the remote participation of a select board member at a public meeting of the board by telephone or video conference only upon the consent of the majority members of the board physically present." Jay said the "majority of the board physically present has not carried the motion." That reading framed the board's procedural discussion.
Select Board members gave several reasons for voting against admitting Morgan remotely. One member asked the public and the board to consider "what is the benefit of not allowing him to join right now?" and another replied that the member had "recent absences," which was cited as a reason for a no vote. A member later said the decision was "a really significant disappointing decision" for Morgan, who the speaker said "was on airplanes over oceans" for work and had been elected by Brentwood residents.
Members also discussed the limits of what the remote participant would be permitted to do if admitted. One member noted that remote participation would amount to watching the livestream, saying, "Remote participation. We live stream these meetings, which means people can watch them." The board chair characterized the matter as an "internal" select board issue and said public questions or comment about it could be taken during the public comment period.
After the roll-call failed, the board moved on to other agenda items. The question of whether to admit Morgan remotely recurred in remarks that referenced handbook language and RSA provisions and prompted a separate public complaint from an audience member who argued a short-notice meeting warranted remote participation.
The record shows the board relied on its handbook and a majority-physically-present rule to deny the request; no alternative accommodations for Morgan were adopted at the meeting.
