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Plymouth planning board debates reappointments, votes to recommend Mike Ahern and Sue Wood to select board
Summary
After a lengthy public exchange over procedure and conduct, the Plymouth Planning Board voted to recommend both Susan Wood and Mike Ahern for reappointment to the planning board; Ahern’s recommendation followed a split, contested vote after members aired allegations about his outreach and compliance with New Hampshire’s right-to-know law.
The Plymouth Planning Board on Feb. 6 recommended that the Select Board reappoint Susan Wood and Mike Ahern to the planning board after an extended discussion over process and conduct.
The board moved to recommend Susan Wood after she read a letter asking to serve another three-year term. The board then considered Mike Ahern’s request for reappointment and heard a separate, detailed written statement from a board member urging that Ahern not be reappointed because of what the writer described as repeated procedural violations and "exclusionary rhetoric." After discussion and an initial failed motion not to provide a recommendation, the board voted to recommend Ahern by a 4–3 margin.
Why it matters: Planning-board appointments determine who shapes land-use policy and zoning advice that the Select Board or town meeting may act on. The reappointment debate focused less on specific land-use votes than on questions about how members communicate with each other and with the public, and whether those communications complied with RSA 91-A (New Hampshire’s Right-to-Know Law).
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