KP Law attorney Michelle Randello leads Harwich training on open-meeting rules

Michelle Randello of KP Law led a training for Harwich boards and committees that reviewed core obligations under the Massachusetts open meeting law, with an emphasis on executive sessions and minute-keeping. She told attendees that agenda detail and timely minutes are essential and that technical failures to post or document meetings have drawn Attorney General enforcement.

Randello stressed practical rules the town should follow: agendas must give the public enough detail to decide whether to attend; unstaffed boards should get agendas to the clerk no later than noon on the Thursday before a meeting; and minutes must include time, date, attendees and roll-call votes when required. "The 48 hour rule generally is gospel," she said, underscoring the importance of the statutory posting window. She also urged boards to maintain an organized record of executive-session minutes and the periodic review history so that long-running public-records requests can be handled efficiently.

The training included Q&A on site visits, accommodations for remote participation, and how to handle social-media or email exchanges between members. Randello offered templates and said staff may consult town counsel when an issue is unclear. The town promised to circulate the slide materials and the executive-session checklist used in the presentation.