RTM Resolution to End Hybrid Meetings Fails Despite Some Urging “We’re Better Together”

The 230-member Representative Town Meeting voted Monday night on a proposed resolution that would end hybrid RTM meetings starting in June. Hybrid of course refers to meetings held both in person and remotely via Zoom.

The vote on the resolution failed.

53 Yes
132 No
5 Abstentions

Susan Fahey, chair of district 11, presented the request which came from her district. She noted the resolution would not include district or committee meetings.

“The motion is something we have been discussions for quite a while and I think that all of us agree with the idiom, ‘We are better together,'” she said.

She said district 11 members at their March meeting who spoke in favor of the of the resolution commented about delays caused by those voting from home, frustration in the lack of civility among members toward each other and RTM leadership, and a frustration that some were over-using the hybrid system.

They also cited the extra cost to the town to run the hybrid meetings, and that information from the town clerk was that it cost $4,500 for on site Meridia support each for hybrid RTM meeting.

District 11 chair Susan Fahey. April 17, 2023

Fahey said their discussion people swapped stories about, for example, people folding laundry and walking dogs during meetings.

“The discussion also included comments that some members live in other states for large parts of the year,” Fahey said. “Another shared, ‘Why would we want people who are snow birds voting on ordinances like dogs at the beach in the winter time when they themselves are off for those months.”

Fahey said they had agreed it would be important for the moderator to be able to pivot to hybrid or fully virtual in the event of a future pandemic, severe weather or summer special meeting.

Their vote was 12-2-1 in favor of the resolution.

Kip Burgweger, the chair of Legislative & Rules committee, said they consulted assistant town attorney Aamina Ahmad who said the state allowed for all forms of meetings – in person only, remote only or hybrid.

He said someone had made the point that even if the RTM moved to all in-person, the requirement to make accommodations for some to attend remotely would still exist.

“You’re going to have hybrid whether you favor this motion or not,” he said.

Another had noted that with the hybrid option, attendance at meetings had been the highest it had ever been.

L&R’s vote on legal order was 7-5-0 with 1, 4, 8, 5 and 12 voting no. The vote on merits the vote was 0-11-1 with district 11 abstaining.

Mike Spilo said the Public Works committee also discussed the resolution, but were more split in opinions. Proponents felt the RTM was “better together” and members should be required to attend in person as much as possible and would result in them paying attention more closely.

The vote was split: 4-4-1.

Lucia Jansen.

Lucia Jansen said her Budget Overview Committee voted 2-9-1 against ending hybrid meetings.

“Our District 11 BOC representative highlighted that the RTM benefits by being in person with a more focused and engaged RTM, and referred to the many distractions at the last RTM meeting,” Jansen said. “Although the BOC was very appreciative of the face-to-face interactions and agreement that members are less distracted, many BOC members relayed they have children, aging parents and jobs that take them on occasion out of town, and wanted to continue to have the flexibility and option to participate either remote or in person.”

“Others mentioned that with the hybrid option there has been more participation in RTM than ever before,” she added.

Scott Kalb made a motion to suspend the Second Read rule so the body could proceed to a vote.

This motion received the required 2/3 vote to pass: 135 in favor, 48 opposed, 2 abstentions.

Six people signed up to speak, starting with Ms Fahey, the primary proponent of the resolution.

She said hybrid meetings lacked a personal and collaborative element and many participants found that hybrid meetings of the full RTM added delays, extra work for town employees and large expense, while also resulting in frustrations for both in-person and remote participants.

She said distractions were higher at home, vacation or office. “And the pull toward multi-tasking while on a call were also higher,” Fahey added.

“Many in district 11 still believe that in-person meetings foster an atmosphere with better and more respectful behavior and dialogue between members and guests, and encourage collaboration and camaraderie among all its members.”

Scott Kalb from district 7 spoke against the resolution to end hybrid meetings.

“I believe that hybrid meetings allow us all the flexibility that we need to participate in RTM meetings when business or family matters intervene that can sometimes prevent in-person participation,” Kalb said.”It would be unfair to eliminate the voting rights of colleagues who have done the work and can participate remotely but cannot join the call in person because of some special circumstance.”

“We also want to encourage wider participation in our legislative process and ensure it is representative of the broader community in our town,” Kalb continued.

“Hybrid meetings help to ensure such an outcome, and they support greater diversity in our RTM membership. We cannot afford to reduce the pool of qualified candidates for the RTM based on a requirement that they all must attend meetings in person in order to be able to have their votes counted.”

Lastly he said the moderator, moderator pro tempore, IT consultants, town clerk’s office and town attorney’s office had all worked very hard to introduce improvements to the voting system that were making hybrid voting easier, more efficient and more transparent.

Tom Byrne

Tom Byrne asked the moderator to share the cost as well as amount of time for preparation required for hybrid meetings.

Moderator Alexis Voulgaris said the March meeting had cost about $11,900, of which $4,500 represented the flat fee charged by Meridia to send a representative. She said there were also hourly fees for Jenny Larkin, Craig Jones and others to set up and break down equipment.

“We do not have someone (from Meridia) here tonight,” she said. “We’re trying to cut back. Craig (Jones) is doing yeoman’s work manning that ship.”

She said the fees for consulting tech fees would likely be reduced, and the Meridia rep would likely not be necessary if hybrid meetings were eliminated.

Alexis Voulgaris, RTM moderator. April 17, 2023

Svetlana Wasserman, who participated remotely on Monday night, urged the RTM to vote against the motion. She said hybrid meetings encouraged a more diverse membership.

“I know that tallying the votes from members in and outside the room can be difficult, but the harm of ending hybrid meetings far outweighs the inconvenience of these meetings,” Wasserman said. “Why do we have one of the largest municipal legislative bodies in the nation? It’s because we honor our local New England town meeting tradition of inclusive self-government.”

“Ending hybrid meetings will raise the bar for many who want to serve who can’t afford an entire evening away from home. This includes families with young children, especially women and people with elder care responsibilities, people who can’t get out of their office in time,” Wassserman added.

“I have heard RTM members say that if the hybrid option goes away, so will they. Do we want an RTM that is less diverse? Do we want one that leans primarily towards older, retired representatives because they have less of those family responsibilities?” she asked. “Is this fair to our voters?”

The motion to eliminate the hybrid meeting option failed. The vote was 53 yes, 132 no and 5 abstentions.