Sandwich NH

[MAXUM]

Originally Posted by Descant

Chance meetings, attendance at anything from a seminar to a testimonial dinner are all OK. You don't have to avoid fellow officials. There may be a fine line between gathering information and "voting". You can't vote via telephone or email, but you can certainly gather information.

Right! I'm quite certain under the sprit of the law having a discussion about something even if it is in an official capacity outside a formal meeting shouldn't be a problem. It seems where there is a problem in this case is that there was never any public discussion or opportunity for public discourse before a decision was made - this was all wink wink nod nod behind closed doors and that's where these guys went wrong. Or at least that is what is has an appearance of regardless of whether or not that is indeed the case.

Unfortunately it seems that our elected officials at all levels of government are becoming more and more like royalty rather than representatives and worst yet not only consider themselves above the law but have enough political clout to actually circumvent it with no repercussions. Sadly this continues so long as people continue to support and put these people in office in fact it encourages this behavior simply because it does not cost them their jobs.

[longislander]

Chance meetings, attendance at anything from a seminar to a testimonial dinner are all OK. You don't have to avoid fellow officials. There may be a fine line between gathering information and "voting". You can't vote via telephone or email, but you can certainly gather information.

The issue would be, is there a quorum; e.g. 5 member board , 3 members constitutes a "meeting".

Sequential email with a quorum would also be a "meeting".

You can't vote via telephone or email, but you can certainly gather information.

Why not vote by phone! If the quorum is recognized, then it is a legal meeting with subsequent events, and triggers RTK requirements; e.g. minutes etc. and available to public under RTK.

"Gathering information" under a quorum would constitute a "meeting".

There is no universal legal requirement for allowing "speaking" at public meetings. Some meetings, like public hearings, do allow for speaking.

[noreast]

Unfortunately, like most things in life, the scum among us ruined it for the good ones trying to help out. we have to over regulate everything to stop the thieves, since people just can't be trusted, we all loose.

[Descant]

Long Islander is right with some added info. You can vote by phone, but it still has to be a noticed public meeting in a pub;ic pl;ace where the public can hear the discussion and the motions and votes which should be by roll call if there is telephone participation.

There's more detail. That's why NHMA, and the AG offer classes. The one thing I don't think they do is video record the presentations so that those with scheduling problems can see it on their own. The AG does put out a hard copy of the power point presentation for some seminars, and a related CD. Kudos to Terry Knowles at the Charitable Trust division of DoJ. For many years she has been doing at least four presentations a year for elected and appointed Trustees. Sometimes more if there are new laws to deal with.

[Lakeboater]

There was an article in yesterdays Laconia Sun about this situation in Sandwich.