Published: 5/11/2021 8:06:19 PM
AMHERST — With an Open Meeting Law complaint filed against the Board of Registrars still not resolved, the panel will meet again Thursday afternoon to discuss how to handle the matter.
The board will meet at 2 p.m., its third meeting in the last week, to determine what to do with the complaint filed by Carol Gray, a lead petitioner for the voter veto effort to bring the $36.3 million Jones Library project to a townwide referendum.
The project was approved by a 10-2 vote, with one abstention, by the Town Council in April.
The meeting will also continue discussions about offering a response to an accompanying appeal and objection to invalidating signatures on a petition that would have led to a townwide vote on the library project. That effort fell 22 validated signatures short of the 864 needed.
Petitioners on Tuesday, a day after the registrars voted that they couldn’t review signatures, issued a press release stating that they will continue to press for getting invalidated signatures counted, including from 92 residents who have submitted affidavits attesting to their signatures. The next action would be asking the state attorney general’s office to launch an investigation.
Previously, a Hampshire Superior Court judge rejected a preliminary injunction petitioners sought asking for more time to collect signatures.
Gray said in a statement that she is concerned attorneys with KP Law, who are the town counsel, are providing legal opinion to the Board of Registrars.
“We believe this interference with what should be an independent citizen board is highly inappropriate and not in the best interest of our community,” Gray said.