Randolph Town Meeting
Keeps Revote Rules
By M. D. Drysdale

Nicole Cyr and Pamela Wright, both voting for the first time, cast their ballots in Randolph under the watchful eyes of Nap Pietryka. (Herald / Bob Eddy)

The town of Randolph will not make it harder for voters to change their minds—unless of course the town changes its mind later.

Petitions to revote town business will remain at 5% of the voter checklist, despite a selectboard recommendation to change the requirement to 10%.

For years, state law had allowed just 5% of the voters to petition for a revote. However, last year the legislature made it possible for towns to require 10%, 15% or even 20% of its voters to make a revote petition successful.

The selectboard had voted 4-1 to change from 5% to 10% in Randolph. At Town Meeting Tuesday, longtime school board member Laura Soares made it clear that she supports the higher threshold as well.

There is a 30-day period in which revotes can be petitioned, and Soares recalled that after the town voted to build the current village school she "couldn’t sleep for all 30 days."

"You put in so much time and energy" to get the town to pass a major proposal, she said, that it’s discouraging if it is revoted.

"Five percent is just a little too easy to get," she said.

However, Michael Penrod said that it was not at all easy to get the names of 5% of the voters (150 names) on this year’s revote petition regarding the town offices.

"It took a lot of time and a lot of effort," he said. He and others said they were glad that this year’s revote petition had been successful.

It also transpired that Randolph has not had any successful revote petitions for at least 10 years, until this year. Deciding that the 5% rule hasn’t been abused, the citizenry decided by a substantial voice vote to keep the system the way it is.

If the 5% rule comes to be abused later, a 10% rule can be imposed, it was reasoned.

Short Meeting

The discussion on revote petitions was one of the two longest at Randolph’s meeting, which started at 10 a.m. with a Pledge of Allegiance to an imaginary American flag in the right front corner and adjourned at 11:45.

The other major discussion was on the proposal for a community communications network, ECFiberNet.

That discussion was led by John Lutz, who has served as Randolph’s representative on the ECFiberNet planning board. The audience was clearly interested and impressed at the prices that Lutz said the non-profit would be able to offer—as low as $50 to $55 for a basic plan of television, broadband internet, and telephone.

Lutz answered a flurry of questions about the proposed organization and the fiberglass network it proposes to bring to virtually every house in 25 towns. His answers were persuasive, as the proposal to join the organization was overwhelmingly passed by voice vote, with just a scattering of dissent.

Other News

School Board member Soares told the meeting that under Supt. Brent Kay, the school systems of Randolph, Brookfield, and Braintree are cooperating as they never have before. A new model for communicating with citizens will be voted on March 20, she said.

Retiring school board member Matt Poirer was given high praise and applause.

Retiring Selectman Steve Springer was also given high praise (by Larry Townsend) and applause. He responded with assurance that public service "is worth doing."

Judie Soules was reappointed to the Budget Committee. Michael Penrod had his arm twisted sufficiently that he agreed to be on the committee also, filling the term of Kevin Haupt, who resigned.

Selectboard Chair Jim Hutchinson reported that he and Rep. Patsy French have supported a bill in the legislature to allow discussion of all Town Meeting business, even if it is also being voted on by Australian ballot. Townsend has also testified in favor, he said.

The Herald editor asked for a round of applause for the Randolph road crews during a particularly difficult winter. The tribute was enthusiastically given.

Janet Watton, president of Chandler Center for the Arts, thanked the town for last year’s pledge of $750,000 toward needed renovations to the Music Hall and adjacent gallery, which are 100 years old this year. Another $1 million has been raised toward the project, she said.