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Motion to reconsider Article 33 fails after extended debate over turnout and outside experts
Summary
A resident-led motion to reconsider Article 33 failed for lack of a two-thirds vote after residents and committee chairs debated whether Monday night’s late vote and testimony from non-resident experts warranted reopening the article.
A motion to reconsider Article 33 at the Canton annual town meeting failed after the moderator declared the two-thirds threshold was not met.
Stephen Connolly of 11 Cary Circle formally moved to reconsider the article, arguing that Monday night’s vote had taken place with fewer than 200 people in the room and late into the evening, and that testimony from some outside experts had not been disclosed in advance. “Less than 200 people deciding the fate of a very important issue is not what this town deserves,” Connolly said, urging a new opportunity for broader participation.
Tom Birmingham, chair of the Sustainability and Climate Action Plan (the sponsoring committee for Article 33), asked the moderator to require the proponent to explain what new information justified reconsideration so the body could determine whether to allow the motion to proceed. Birmingham also recommended that the bylaws be changed so outside presenters submit factual material in advance.
Opponents said the issue had been publicized and debated at length on Monday and that re-opening votes risks endless reconsideration. “We had a robust discussion,” said Paul Bridal. Lisa Lopez, who identified herself as one of the movers of the Move the Vote measure, said she opposed reconsideration and cautioned against creating a precedent of re-trying late-hour votes simply because fewer people remain in the room.
The finance committee chair, Emilio, clarified that two outside presenters (Craig Altamos and Lisa Cunningham) had been permitted to speak lawfully under a prior motion and that there is no guarantee a future meeting would attract a larger quorum. He also noted that under the current bylaws a motion to reconsider does not require the mover to state grounds, but it does require a two-thirds vote to carry.
After a motion to end debate was carried, the moderator held the reconsideration vote using green cards and declared that the two-thirds threshold had not been reached; the motion to reconsider Article 33 therefore failed. The town meeting then resumed other business.
The meeting transcript records the arguments on both sides but gives no roll-call vote or exact tallies for the reconsideration vote; the moderator’s announcement was that the motion failed to achieve the required two-thirds majority.
