ROCHESTER — Every meeting of the Rochester Select Board begins with the Pledge of Allegiance, and Rochester Republican Town Committee Chair Bill Chamberlain hopes that all town boards and committees will start their meetings the same way.

“It doesn't take much time, as you know, it probably [takes] 30 seconds out of a meeting to do the pledge,” said Chamberlain. “It also gives an opportunity for the meeting to really begin and [it] gets everybody in that mode.”

However, according to Rochester Town Administrator Glenn Cannon, there is no legal way to enforce the recitation of the pledge.

Even if a citizen’s petition was brought to Town Meeting, there would be “no penalty” for anyone who chose not to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, said Cannon.

However, the Rochester Select Board could issue a “recommendation” that town meetings begin with the pledge, explained Cannon.

“It really is a recommendation because we have no enforcement authority on it,” he said. “If the Select Board was so inclined to make a motion to encourage boards and committees to do the pledge before we start the meeting, that'd be a good thing.”

The Select Board voted unanimously to “encourage” all Rochester committees and boards to stand for and recite the pledge.

“I certainly don't mind leading by example — we have been doing that,” said Rochester Select Board Chair Woody Hartley. “We certainly should never try to force anybody to do anything, that’d be a violation of the first amendment. You can't force anybody to take a political stand like that.”

Rochester Conservation Commission Chair Christopher Gerrior said that he would take the matter up as a discussion and possible vote among his board.

“I don't think I would tell them what to do,” said Gerrior, who is also the Tri-Town veterans service officer. “And I wouldn't let them tell me what to do.”