Letter to the editor: Regarding Mattapoisett Special Town Meeting outcome

To the Editor:

On Oct. 5, Mattapoisett held a Special Town Meeting to consider a certified citizen petition — signed by 335 residents, nearly 10% of all registered voters — calling for a vote to rescind the May 12th action expanding the Select Board from three members to five.

Unfortunately, the meeting never voted on the substance of that question. Instead, a motion to postpone indefinitely was approved — a parliamentary move that ended debate and prevented a Yes-or-No vote on the issue.

In other words, the meeting voted not to vote.

This was deeply disappointing. The Moderator and Town Counsel acted within their understanding of procedure, but the effect was to silence discussion and deny citizens the vote they requested — an outcome that may follow the letter of the law but not the spirit of Home Rule.

Our petition was not improper and did not challenge the legality of the May vote. It simply asked voters to reconsider a major change — a right guaranteed under Massachusetts law.

Even more troubling, the original bill was rushed to passage. After months in committee, it suddenly advanced and was signed into law on August 22nd, just days after our petition was certified. That timing was highly unusual and effectively preempted the voice of the people.

Some say they “had the votes” anyway. But democracy isn’t about predicting outcomes — it’s about allowing citizens to vote. To those who signed but didn’t attend, this shows why participation matters. When we don’t show up, others decide for us.

Paul Criscuolo

Mattapoisett