Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Ethics Recusal topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Recusal guidance emphasized after off-meeting contact warning; member resigns over schedule change
Summary
Planning Director Robyn Payson reviewed RSA guidance on disqualification and warned that advising applicants outside meetings could require recusal; Morgan Tanafon resigned from the board citing the meeting time change and the board adjourned at 8:30 p.m.
Planning Director Robyn Payson reminded members on Aug. 21 that planning board members act in a quasi-judicial capacity when deciding subdivisions or site plans and must avoid off-meeting contacts that could create grounds for disqualification.
Payson referenced RSA 673:14 and RSA 500-A:12, noting that a member must recuse if, among other things, they expect to gain or lose from the disposition, are related to a party, have advised or assisted an applicant, have formed an opinion, or are otherwise prejudiced. She cautioned that failure to recuse when appropriate could leave the board’s decisions subject to challenge and reversal.
Later in the meeting Morgan Tanafon resigned from the Planning Board, citing the meeting time change; the board thanked him for his service. Dana Clow moved to adjourn, James Bailey III seconded, and the motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m.
The board did not take further action on recusal policy at the meeting beyond the reminder and the distribution of written guidance.
