Politics & Government

Disalvo to Continue His Town Meeting Rules

He cites the need for transparency.

Remember those new rules Town Moderator Mark DiSalvo introduced to Town Meeting last year? Well, they'll be in effect this year as well.

"The traditions and procedures of Town Meeting have been created over centuries," DiSalvo wrote in this year's Moderator's message. "At last year’s Town Meeting, the first at which I presided, we honored the past and continued the evolution of Town Meeting that can best represent and serve North Andover at the present time. Last year I introduced new procedures and rules that, I hope you agree, made the meeting both more transparent and efficient."

The Town Charter allows the town moderator to set procedural rules for Town Meeting.

Find out what's happening in North Andoverwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

To refresh your memory:

  • DiSalvo implemented a requirement that a speaker's personal financial interest in an article's outcome be disclosed to the meeting.
  • Town employees and appointed or elected officials, when expressing their views at Town Meeting, must identify their position and whether or not they are speaking in an official capacity.

Town Meeting will again have a large overhead screen that displayed warrant articles as they were being discussed, as well as motions and changes to articles.

Find out what's happening in North Andoverwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

DiSalvo will again have Town Meeting broadcast and live-streamed online.

As has been the case for several decades now, there will continue to be a 5-minute time limit on remarks. Rules on how motions are made, seconded and amended will remain the same as well.


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