Video of Selectman Dalton not allowing the police chief to speak

The following is an excerpt from the Lynnfield Selectmen Meeting on March26 where Chairman Dalton did not allow the Chief of Police to speak and ruled Selectman Barrett out of order. People in attendance and who watched it on TV could not remember seeing this happening before. The 3 minute and 22 second clip can be clicking on the following link or cutting and pasting it into a browser:

http://tinyurl.com/DaltonnotallowingChief

The full video of the meeting can be found by going to the town website at:

https://www.town.lynnfield.ma.us/ and looking in the video areas.

The following sections are from the Selectmen’s website. From viewing the meeting it appears they might want to review some of the sections.

From Public Comment Policy:

“The Lynnfield Board of Selectmen recognizes the importance of public comment, at the discretion of the Chair, on items on the official agenda as well as items not on the official agenda.”

It also includes the following:

· Public Comment is a time when town residents can bring matters before the Board of Selectmen that are not on the official agenda.

· Town employees, committee, commission or board members who have business with the Board of Selectmen will not request recognition during Public Comment time.

From Code of Conduct:

As elected members of the Lynnfield Board of Selectmen, we accept this high honor and the trust that has been placed in us to ensure that the Town of Lynnfield, its residents, Town Administrator, department heads, employees and volunteers are respected, helping to ensure a sound foundation of how we operate our town. In acceptance of this role we commit to the following:

Board of Selectmen members, in relation to the community:

· Realize that each Board member is one of a team of three and must abide by, and carry out, all Board decisions once they are made.

· Remember that each member represents the entire community as a whole at all times.

· Acceptance of the role of a Board member is unselfish service, and not to benefit personally or politically from their Board activities.

· Abide by the ethics guidelines established by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

· Always maintain the confidentiality of privileged information.

· Recognize that authority rests only with the majority decisions of the Board, and members will make no independent commitments nor take any independent actions that may compromise the Board as a whole.

From Code of Ethics:

The citizens and businesses of the Town of Lynnfield are entitled to have fair, ethical and accountable local government which has earned the public’s full confidence for integrity. The effective functioning of democratic government therefore requires that:

Public officials, both elected and appointed, comply with both the letter and spirit of the laws and policies affecting the operations of government;

· Public officials be independent, impartial and fair in their judgment and actions;

· Public office be used for the public good, not for personal gain; and

· Public deliberations and processes be conducted openly, unless legally confidential, in an atmosphere of cooperation.

To this end, the Lynnfield Board of Selectmen has adopted a Code of Ethics for our public officials to assure public confidence in the integrity of local government and its effective and fair operation.

Act in the Public Interest
recognizing that stewardship of the public interest must be their primary concern, officials will work for the common good of the people of Lynnfield and not for any private or personal interest, and they will assure fair and equal treatment of all persons, claims and transactions coming before them.

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Respect for Process
Officials shall perform their duties in accordance with the processes and rules of order which have been established by their respective board, commission or committee, and which govern the deliberation of public policy issues, meaningful involvement of the public, and the ability of Town staff to implement policy decisions as authorized by the Board of Selectmen.

Conduct of Public Meetings
Officials shall prepare themselves for public issues; listen courteously and attentively to all public discussions before the body; and focus on the business at hand. They shall refrain from interrupting other speakers; making personal comments not germane to the business of the body; or otherwise interfering with the orderly conduct of meetings.

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Conflict of Interest
In order to assure their independence ad impartiality on behalf of the common good, officials shall not use their public positions to influence government decisions in which they have a material financial interest, or where they have an organizational responsibility or personal relationship, which may give the appearance of a conflict of interest.

Gifts and Favors
Officials shall not take any special advantage of services or opportunities for personal gain, by virtue of their public office that is not available to the public in general. They shall refrain from accepting any gifts, favors or promises of future benefits which might compromise their independence of judgment or action or give the appearance of being compromised