Town meeting to consider proposal to delay HRA plans, study impacts

By Dolores Sauca Lorusso

Voters at Monday’s town meeting will be asked to consider an proposal to delay decisions on developing the Hull Redevelopment Authority’s property, although town officials say the citizens’ petition is “unactionable” and will recommend against it.

Article 22, sponsored by Susan Vermilya, calls for a study of development impacts on town’s resources.

“We are asking for an independent formal study to tell us how much this is going to cost taxpayers,” Vermilya said. “There is a lot of demand on resources and that is not going to go at zero cost.”

“The independent study will look specifically at what changes or upgrades are needed to each of these resources – water, sewer, electricity – costs of those changes, who is going to pay for those costs, and what resource decline might we expect for this development,” she said.

“I believe this is absolutely unactionable because of the independent nature of the HRA,” advisory board member Jay Polito said. “They (HRA) will not take direction from the town; if this passes, they can ignore it because of their charter and the way it is set up.”

The advisory board voted unanimously to recommend unfavorable action on the article.

As a founding member of S.O.S. Hull (Save Our Space), Vermilya said many in town feel “the HRA hasn’t checked all the boxes or done their due diligence about the full impact of this development.

“We don’t want to find out a year into the project that we need a new sewer plant or a new water tower because not there is so much water usage we can’t get water pressure down to the Village,” she said.

Planning Board Chair Harry Hibbard said the availability of services is part of the process of the planning board in reviewing development plans.

“We will hear from the electric company, the sewer department, public safety, water…everyone can chime in and have the opportunity to say whether this is or isn’t a problem,” Hibbard said. “It is my understanding, any system improvements that are required as part of this development will be covered by the developer and donated to the water company.”

Vermilya said she and the members of S.O.S. Hull understand that the select board will approve the HRA’s Urban Renewal Plan acting as “the voice of the community;” therefore, “if the community is concerned we don’t have all our answers to know whether this is good for our town, then the select board should be just as concerned.”

Advisory board member Jason Frady said that if the select board were to reject the HRA plan, it “does not dissolve the HRA and it doesn’t take away their land or money.” In such a scenario, the HRA could choose to engage developers in the bidding process asking them to submit their proposals for the land and omit further public input.

“No one wants to go there. HRA doesn’t want to go there. I don’t want to go there,” Zoning Board of Appeals Chair Patrick Finn said. “That is like the nuclear option…We don’t want to go back to the mistakes of the past.”

“We set the rules of the game; zoning,” Frady said. “If the development meets the requirements of zoning in the NBOD [Nantasket Beach Overlay District] it would be hard to object… The HRA the way it was voted on by the town, has the authority over that piece of land.”

The advisory board said it considers its recommendations in light of whether it can “advise town meeting in one direction or another,” and members concluded that they cannot recommend action that can’t be implemented.

“We have the duty to think about and guide the voters in understanding what we can and can’t force the town to do,” advisory board member Chad Wolfe said. “That doesn’t mean it can’t be symbolic…there is a lot of great symbolism in the town vote.”

Finn, of the board of appeals, and a candidate for the redevelopment authority, said the HRA is not working with a developer but is gathering ideas for what can be built on the property.

“Article 22 is to see if the town will vote to delay decisions on development proposals,” Finn said. “This isn’t a development proposal. It is a collaborative planning exercises with the Town of Hull that incorporates a two-way road plan.”

Despite the advisory board’s recommendation of unfavorable action, voters still will be able to debate and vote on the article at town meeting.

“We are asking to do this to formalize what impact this is going to have…In the end us taxpayers are going to be paying for it, potentially,” said Vermilya.

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Town meeting article would require large projects to include affordable housing

By Dolores Sauca Lorusso

“With Hull already having missed potential opportunities for inclusionary housing, I believe that the time to address the issue is at hand, so future opportunities will not be lost,” said George Boylen, who filed a citizens’ petition for the May 1 town meeting to create a requirement for “inclusionary housing of 10% of proposed units for any development over 10 units.”

Boylen said the motivation behind his petition came after a meeting with the select board where a developer, when asked about affordable housing, “seemed to indicate that it did not fit with his business model.” Boylen, who is the town moderator, is sponsoring Article 17 as a private citizen.

Although the advisory board voted to refer the inclusionary bylaw for further study, the planning board will recommend favorable action at town meeting. Both boards agree that the issue of affordable housing in Hull must be addressed in some way. Boylen’s plan would give preference to Hull residents and employees.

“The reason we are recommending favorable action is we got stung three times in the last six months with preliminary subdivisions which served to make zoning changes inapplicable once filed,” said planning board Chair Harry Hibbard. “The Aquarium … Paragon Dunes, and also the HRA, all filed preliminary subdivisions. The planning board is committed to working the kinks out of this; a lot needs to be fixed.”

Advisory Board member Dan Sullivan, who presented Boylen’s article in his absence, agreed. “May only be one more big project in this town, and if someone jumps in with a subdivision application, then we lost any chance of this article to work,” he said.

Steve Kiley of the advisory board countered: “I think the timing of the next project, while unfortunate, can’t be a deciding factor in us making a decision on this article.”

“It is important for a board like us to step in and say if there are flaws to be addressed, not just with this particular article, but in general,” said advisory board Chair David Clinton. “We are recommending refer to study because we believe it should be part of a more comprehensive study related to housing policies in town.”

Boylen said he developed his bylaw by researching other towns, data from the Pioneer Institute, and by material from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University. In addition, he found “140 towns or cities in Massachusetts have inclusionary housing bylaws in place.”

“Many communities try to copycat what others have done, but one size doesn’t fit all because there are a variety of considerations,” Town Manager Philip Lemnios said.

According to Boylen, the “language utilized is taken from currently existing bylaws in other towns and modified to address some Hull-specific concerns.”

The proposed inclusionary housing bylaw will give preference to Hull residents and those employed within the town. The bylaw proposal states that “affordable units shall be initially offered to current residents of the Town of Hull who qualify under the income guidelines and who have resided in town for a minimum of five years, to persons employed within the Town of Hull for at least five years, and to persons who, although not currently residents of the town, have previously resided in the Town of Hull for a minimum of five years.”

“I like George’s bylaw because of the local preferences,” said zoning board of appeals Chair Patrick Finn. “If we have too little affordable housing and it is too late, we better use every loophole we can to make preferences for Hull residents, and the elderly… No one wants to create the last remaining units, and finally pass 10% affordable housing, for people to come from out of town.”

Community Development and Planning Director Chris DiIorio said that if state or federal grant money is received for the affordable housing project, there cannot be a local preference; however, preferences for the elderly and disabled can still be made.

Boylen said when he was developing this potential bylaw he was not aware of any action being taken to develop an inclusionary affordable housing regulation.

“When I became aware that the zoning bylaw review committee was considering a potential inclusionary housing bylaw, I forwarded my citizens’ petition to the committee, which decided not to include a bylaw of their own concerning this issue,” he said. “The right action would be to approve this bylaw, so we have something in place that locks in an inclusionary housing requirement, recognizing that it may need certain elements to be potentially amended at a future town meeting.”

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Lewenberg, Roy to fill citizens’ seats on town manager search panel

By Carol Britton Meyer

Roger Lewenberg and Kim Roy were appointed by the select board this week to fill the two community member openings on the town manager semifinalist search committee that will work with the consulting firm Community Paradigm Associates.

ROGER LEWENBERG

Other applicants interviewed April 12 were Stephen Applebaum, David P. Irwin, Susan Mann, Ann Marie Papasodero, Polly Rowe, Amy Whitcomb Slemmer, William Smyth, Francine Townsend, and Stephen White.

The consulting firm will ultimately present who they believe to be the best semifinalists to the committee for their review. The position is open due to the June retirement of Town Manager Philip Lemnios, who will serve in an interim capacity to assist with the transition.

KIM ROY

Lewenberg, a retired judge, had summered in Hull for his whole life before becoming a year-round resident in 2005. He was interested in being a town manager early in his career and spent six months of his undergraduate training interning with the Ipswich town manager. Skills he considers to be of top priority in a town manager include “someone who has good ideas, shares them, and listens to others’ good ideas.”

Roy, currently the human resources director for the Town of Cohasset, has a background in recruiting for municipalities. Before moving to Hull four years ago, she served on the Halifax Select Board and in other government positions in that community.

The qualities she considers necessary include having “great communications skills, integrity, and a real understanding of the community.

“It’s a perfect dance when everyone is on the same plan … working for the greater good of the community and not a personal agenda,” she said.

Before Lewenberg and Roy were appointed, select board member Irwin Nesoff nominated Slemmer to serve as one of the community members, but that motion was not seconded.

After Roy was nominated and appointed and Lewenberg nominated, Nesoff – while acknowledging that Lewenberg “is highly qualified” – said his “only concern” was that some of the earlier candidates “who have been passed over” have been more involved with the town, serving on town committees.

In response, Select Board Chair Donna Pursel said that while involvement with the town is important to look for in the candidates for the semi-finalist committee, “I think it’s important to look at the bigger picture of what [else] can be brought to the table. Town hall experience is not the deciding factor.”

Board member Greg Grey seconded Lewenberg’s nomination.

Roy was appointed on a unanimous vote, while the vote for Lewenberg was 4-1, with Nesoff abstaining.

“We have an unbelievable list of candidates,” select board member Domenico Sestito said. “I’m very impressed by their qualifications.”

The first meeting of the committee is scheduled to take place on Thursday, April 27. Nesoff, the select board representative to the committee, was appointed to serve as interim chair until the committee is up and running. Other members include select board member Greg Grey, advisory board member Patricia Cormier, and school committee member David Twombly.

The committee will meet throughout the month of May and ultimately recommend a list of finalists to the Select Board, which will make the final decision.

While the committee’s meetings will be posted, most of the work will be completed in executive session -- “until the finalist stage,” Lemnios said, although the consultant will be able to share general information about the number of candidates, for instance.

Although the names of the semi-finalists will not be made public, the finalists’ names will, after which the Select Board will proceed with the final selection process.

The committee is expected to present the final candidates to the Select Board around the second week of June.

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Students spend April break focused on service project in the Dominican Republic

By Victoria Dolan

During April break, around 15 students traveled to the Dominican Republic to help serve the community and experience a different culture as part of Project Humanitarian Involvement.

A WORKING VACATION. During their April school break, about 15 Hull High students traveled to the Dominican Republic to serve the community, including improving school facilities and providing assistance with other projects for local children. The Hull students are members of Project Humanitarian Involvement. [Courtesy photo]

Project Humanitarian Involvement, or PHI, is a club that focuses on humanitarian-based service. The club worked with the DREAM project, which works on creating opportunities for people in the Dominican Republic, such as improving literacy skills and academics, as well as providing health information and legal services.
“They do a lot of work with younger kids,” explained club advisor Daniel O’Donnell, “and that’s what our work focused around.” During their week-long trip, the group painted walls, murals, and handicapped-accessible signs for schools. They also spent time playing with young local kids, which “was everyone’s favorite activity.”
However, the trip wasn’t all work and no play. In between serving the community, students participated in a surfing class, swam in a lagoon, and took tours of museums, cultural neighborhoods, and a mangrove swamp.
O’Donnell chose to take on responsibility with the club after the former advisor stepped down because he “always loved traveling,” and “wanted to share that with the students.”
Also supervising on the trip was guidance secretary Julie Galluzzo. Asked to join the trip due to her Spanish fluency and familiarity with participating students, Galluzzo said the students were “wonderful to travel with” and “their behavior was exceptional.”
Both Galluzzo and O’Donnell think the students took home valuable lessons from their time in the Dominican Republic. Not only did they brush up on their Spanish speaking skills, but O’Donnell thinks they “were able to learn a lot about being flexible and going with the flow” as plans changed throughout the trip.
Galluzzo noted that “a lot of kids reflected back on their own situation here, and how good they have it” compared to some of the extreme poverty they witnessed. “For some kids it was eye-opening.”

Victoria Dolan is The Hull Times school correspondent. This column reflects her student viewpoint. For questions or comments, please contact dolan.victorialani@gmail.com.

Hull athletes play in state’s first Unified Basketball season

The Hull Unified Basketball Team participated in the first-ever season of play in the sport under the Massachusetts Unified Sports program run by Special Olympics Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association. It allows students with disabilities the opportunity to play sports alongside their peers in a fun and supportive environment.

FIRST SEASON IN THE BOOKS. The Hull Unified Basketball Team has completed a successful first season. [Photo courtesy of the Hull Public Schools]

The Hull Unified Basketball Team has 15 co-ed students and is coached by Hull High School teacher Hannah Hutchinson, South Shore Educational Collaborative Mini School teacher Dan Tramontana and SSEC Mini School assistant teacher Mackenzie McDonald.

The team has regularly scheduled practices, one to two times per week, and competes in regular season games.

The first game was held on  March 16 against Pembroke. In the end, Hull came up short, 26-20. During the second and final regular season game on March 27 at Memorial Middle School, the Hull defeated Canton, 39-27.

“It was amazing to watch these students build their confidence and form new friendships throughout the season,” said Superintendent Judith Kuehn. “I want to thank all students and staff who volunteered their time to make this season so special.”

The Hull Unified Basketball Team participated in the Unified Basketball Post-Season Jamboree, an event in which unified teams from surrounding districts play in a tournament of shorter games against a variety of opponents. 

Family members, friends and students attended the jamboree at West Bridgewater Middle-Senior High School on March 30 to celebrate the completion of the first-ever Massachusetts Unified Basketball season. To kick off the event, Hull student-athletes participated in a parade into the gym, where they sang the national anthem before facing both Canton and West Bridgewater.

“I truly loved coaching our Unified Basketball team this year,” said Coach Hutchinson. “It was amazing to see the sportsmanship and camaraderie these student-athletes exhibited in each practice and throughout the entire season.”

Following the tournament, players were awarded ribbons from Special Olympics Unified Sports as a symbol of their hard work and successes throughout the season. 

“The first season for the Hull Unified Basketball team brought even more success than we could have ever imagined,” said SSEC Mini School Program Director Maureen Gattine. “I am greatly looking forward to continuing this program for many years to come.”

Sewer Department projecting level-funded operating budget; capital plans could hike rates

By Dolores Sauca Lorusso

As the sewer department plans to maintain a level-funded operating budget for the coming fiscal year, many capital improvement projects in the pipeline may necessitate an upcoming rate adjustment.

THE HULL SEWER TREATMENT PLANT IS AT 1111 NANTASKET AVENUE.

“We are 62% through the year and have 37% of the budget for the year left…The total department (FY24) budget is same total as last year (FY23),” Permanent Sewer Commission Chair Richard Mattila said at last month’s commission meeting, “but in reality, this is kind of skewed to the fact that the debt service is down 18% while capital expenses are up 78%.”

The sewer department’s forecasting will frame the way it is thinking about the capital plan.

“We will be looking at the rate structure to see if it will remain sufficient to support ongoing capital improvement programs,” said Director of Wastewater Operations/Assistant Director of Public Works John Struzziery.

The department’s budget is an enterprise fund, meaning that revenues from sewer fees are used to offset expenses. Struzziery stressed the fact “the bottom-line budget is staying the same as last year. We paid down one of the bonds so there won’t be principal and bond interest…then some expenses went down, while others went up.

“We are contracted with another service called WaterWorks that is looking at what our expenditures are in capital projects projected over the next number of years and offering revenue projections,” Struzziery added. “It is another tool to assess whether the rates are adequate to support what we are looking to meet. [It] may mean an interim rate adjustment and might be sooner than later.”

Struzziery described WaterWorks as an “inexpensive, robust tool that gives a lot of what if scenarios based on different actions.” He said the sewer department contracted with WaterWorks the end of February and is now “inputting the data, validating the data, and reviewing it to fully understand what it all means.”

“The vulnerability assessment done about a year and a half ago puts the plant at the top of the town infrastructure that is at risk,” Mattila said.

Struzziery explained how many of the capital projects in the works serve to mitigate this risk by ensuring reliability, redundancy, and resiliency. Updates to the HVAC system are complete and it has been “replaced to the second floor of the control building, so it is not damaged by flood in the future.”

The HVAC system was damaged by flooding 10 years ago; since then the plant has been working on interim systems to keep the system running and meet code requirements.

“The primarily goals were to get things back in order because it was in a disrepair, and to maintain the treatment functionality of the plant…So much damage set our priorities back, then COVID hit too,” said Struzziery.

In April, the plant will begin moving electrical systems to the second floor; this project will run for two years. The influent pumps will remain in the same location but will be replaced by “dry-pit submersible pumps,” so they are not vulnerable to flooding.

The aeration system is being improved because a well-designed system is a “key component of the filtration process” and has a direct impact on the level of wastewater treatment. The goal is to “give redundancy of aeration” by replacing the two older tanks so they match the two newer ones.

Struzziery said other building improvements “not as significant” as the HVAC, electrical, influent pumps, and aeration system will be made because they are necessary for “structural reasons.”

The design of the pumping station at Pemberton, across from the high school, is complete. “Production is expected to start later this year…we are awaiting grant approval from the Environmental Protection Agency,” said Struzziery. According to the EPA, the agency provides “financial and technical assistance to small and rural communities to establish and improve wastewater treatment services to lower the risk of harm to public health and protect the environment.”

The ocean outfall cleaning and rehabilitation project will continue to clean the sewer department’s “undersea discharge pipe and diffuser field and protect the diffuser heads from potential damage.” This rehabilitation project is contained in Article 10 on the May 1 town meeting warrant article because the American Rescue Plan Act funding has been applied for, and to be eligible, the selected use for the funds must receive approval.

There are 36 diffusers, and 1.5 years ago air excavation was used to expose 11 of the pipes and put extensions on them. The ARPA funding will be used to do the same for the remaining 25 pipes, which were also buried when the ocean bottom shifted over the years.

“The project allows us to clean sand out of the main outlets to restore capacity,” said Struzziery.

The sewer commission is considering a policy whereby sellers of real estate connected to the Hull sewer system without documentation, will need to have their service inspected at their own expense to update the town’s records. This policy will identify and remedy problems in older piping, minimize backups and service calls, as well as reduce infiltration and inflow to the sewer system. This policy primarily affects properties connected to the older sewer lines in town where records are not available.

The department decided that homeowners should be responsible for the cost of the inspection.

“It is hard to justify distributing a half-million-dollar cost among all sewer ratepayers when it only benefits a handful of property owners,” said Brian Kiely, assistant director of wastewater operations. “For the homeowner to order the service through a drain cleaner as part of the inspection process will cost between $500 to $700. For the town to do it will be a minimum of $500 per home times 1,200 affected homes, totaling $600,000.”

The Coastal Zone Management-funded design of the earthen, vegetative, and concrete berm to protect the wastewater treatment facility from coastal storm flooding has been completed, and the department expects to hear about a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency by the end of 2023.

“If funding is received, the design will be finalized, and construction will begin after some of the other capital projects are completed,” said Struzziery.

Plan would punish those encroaching on railroad bed without permission

By Dolores Sauca Lorusso

A proposal on the May 1 town meeting warrant proposes to deny town permits to property owners who are encroaching on the former railroad bed without permission. Resident Randall Gould said the plan would ensure that the railroad right-of-way, which runs the length of the peninsula, would remain available for public use.

THE 1992 RAILROAD BED STUDY COMMITTEE REPORT CONTAINED RECOMMENDATIONS FOR USES IN EACH SECTION OF THE PROPERTY. IT IS AVAILABLE ON OUR HOME PAGE.

Gould’s proposal, contained in Article 22, would “establish a bylaw that requires all town departments to only issue permits to abutters of the George Washington Boulevard Extension if they currently hold a license by the town.” The description references the title of the plan of land filed at the Plymouth County Registry of Deeds in 1938 and would apply to all of the railroad property, not just the section near George Washington Boulevard.

The advisory board will recommend no action on this article at town meeting because it is “non-binding and does not present an actionable plan,” members decided at a recent meeting.

“I do not believe such a bylaw would be approved by the state, which is a requirement of most bylaws,” Advisory Board Chair David Clinton said. “Town meeting can’t restrict employees, officials, boards, and departments from doing their jobs.”

According to the Railroad Bed Right of Way Study Committee’s final report in 1992, the Town of Hull has an easement on the former railroad property and can control its use.

“The land was conveyed to the town by the trustees of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad Company in 1938, and accepted by the town in town meeting, this conclusion is supported by a report by Lawrence A. Kellem, Esq. dated August 5, 1966,” according to the report, which is available on the town’s website by clicking here.

“We spent $50,000 to take over the railroad right away that runs the length of the town from the Old Colony Railroad Company to Hull High School to Weir River,” Gould said. “Everyone that encroaches is not compensating the town for use of the property…they have encompassed the railroad with fences, hedges, bushes, houses, and whatever.”

The railroad bed study committee, established by the select board on July 9,1990, reported that its membership “was in total agreement that the railroad right of way is a valuable asset to the Town of Hull, and the long-term protection of that asset should be of paramount concern to town officials.”

Gould believes this has not changed today, and the town needs to reestablish its rights in the railroad bed.

“Abutters of the railroad bed property need to understand that they do not own or have any right to the property which runs the length of the town,” Gould said. “The railroad bed is public property, and the town must be reimbursed for private use of that property.”

Advisory board member Bob Carney said he is “fascinated” by the railroad bed, and would “love” to see it used for the town.

“There are ways,” he said. “If you really wanted to do this you could call it a tax and not give permits to people who are behind in their taxes.”

Town Counsel James Lampke explained it is not possible to stop people from getting building permits because of a separate dispute over using the railroad bed; however, “there is a process created by state law that the town adopted which says we can deny licenses and permits, of all different types, if someone owes the town money.”

As the article is written, Carney described this hypothetical situation as an unintended consequence: “An elderly woman whose property encroaches (on the railroad bed), she does not have a license, her furnace goes in the middle of winter; the building inspector says you can’t have a permit to fix your furnace.”

“The railroad right-of-way committee always wanted that piece of land that runs through the town to be an open bike path, or whatever,” said Gould. “They always wanted it to be kept by the town for public use.”

At 2019 town meeting, voters approved an article to carry out the right-of-way committee’s plans, but Gould said it has not been accomplished.

“According to the bylaws of the town and description of the town manager’s job, they are supposed to initiate whatever is voted at town meeting and this has not been done,” Gould said.

“Better presentation for warrant than 2019, but still has a couple holes in it,” said advisory board member Dan Sullivan. “For example, it asks us to set up a bylaw, but doesn’t say the select board will be the licensing authority.”

“We didn’t disapprove of your previous action (in 2019) we said no action because there were too many variables to be reconciled,” Sullivan said. “I fear history repeating itself. As presented, this is one of those situations where I am going to vote ‘no action,’ even though I love the sentiment.”

“There is a list of people who have applied for and obtained licenses from the town to use a portion of the railroad behind their property…there is not a list to know who is encroaching and not encroaching,” Lampke said. “You have to have a survey done of the railroad bed to see who is encroaching and who is not encroaching. We looked into that and it was very expensive.”

Clinton said there is a mechanism in place if the town is planning to do something with the railroad bed property.
“If the town were to want to do something with the land they could go and tell them they have 30 days to quit,” he said.

Members described the railroad bed’s uncertain status as the “third rail of Hull politics” – also a historic reference to the Nantasket Beach Branch of the Old Colony Railroad’s status as the first electric railroad in the country (although, according to the Hull Historical Society, the electrification in Hull was by overhead wiring, not a track-mounted rail).

Petition asks voters to create panel to interview town manager finalists

By Dolores Sauca Lorusso

A citizens’ petition on the May 1 town meeting warrant will ask voters to establish a seven-person committee of residents to interview the finalist for the town manager position. This panel would be separate from the semifinalist committee established by the select board, which includes representatives from town boards.

Opting not to advise unfavorable action because members “value the public’s position,” the advisory board recently decided to recommend no action because the select board already has the authority to appoint committees, members said at a recent meeting.

“This is a big decision for the town; people want to be involved in this major change,” said Ann Marie Papasodero, the sponsor of Article 23 on the warrant. “The residents are very vested in this decision.”

“I applaud citizens’ petitions. They are an important part of running the town, but I am not sure this is the best way to do this,” said advisory board member Jay Polito. “It is an open process; normally time is put aside, on the agenda, for public input.”

“The public is not always comfortable getting on the agenda,” said Papasodero. “I wanted to give the community a way to have their voices heard.”

According to the petition, the seven-person citizen committee would ask the finalist for town manager one question each, and the applicant would present his or her qualifications and reasons for applying for the job.

“The town manager makes a lot of decisions on our behalf…It is imperative to make the right choice the first time around, and the community wants to be involved,” Papasodero said. “We understand at the end of the day the select board makes the decision.”

Papasodero said she chose to have seven members on the finalist committee because the consultant hired by the town to conduct the full search, Community Paradigm Associates, suggested either five or seven to avoid a stalemate.

“Paradigm said they have had a lot of citizens committees get involved with these types of searches, so in the end everyone gets to say their piece,” she said. “We pay them for their expertise; I am just following their steps.”

The petition for the finalist committee was filed before the select board committed to appointing two citizens to a committee to interview semifinalists. Papasodero said she asked at a select board meeting if there could be a citizens committee, but at that time “they were unsure of any citizen participation in the selection process,” so she went forward with the town meeting petition. Eleven citizens applied for the two available slots to screen the semifinalists.

“I am impressed with the residents’ desire for involvement,” Papasodero said. “They love their town and are concerned with how it will go forward in the future.”

Among those 11 applicants was Papasodero, who said she “wanted to get involved in the process in any way possible, so why not apply to be one of the two citizens on the semifinalist committee?” However, she still believes the committee she proposes has value.

“There is a need to get even more community members involved in the process,” she said. “The finalist committee can do that.”

The semifinalist committee will be made up of two select board members (Greg Grey and Irwin Nesoff), one advisory board member (Patricia Cormier), one school committee member (David Twombly) and two community members. Community representatives will be appointed by the select board on Monday, April 24 and the first meeting of the group is set to take place on Thursday, April 27.

The finalist committee proposed by Papasodero would be made up of residents, with the primary goal of “gathering more information to give the select board a broader view by allowing seven citizens to each ask the finalists a pre-selected question.”

Current Town Manager Philip Lemnios, who will be retiring at the end of June, said “final interviews are held publicly. Some boards take public questions, and some don’t; the process without that is already tense enough for the applicants.”

Papasodero said the intention of the finalist committee would “in no way” be to add stress to the candidates, and that questions can be submitted over the Zoom platform if necessary.

“We weren’t going to come in and go gangbusters,” she said. “The select board can present the questions; just looking for an avenue for them to be heard.”

“The select board has expressed concern over the time necessary to interview and appoint members to the citizens committee,” Papasodero said. “They liked all the candidates they just interviewed… so don’t reinvent the wheel. Call some of those people back; there were more than enough.”

Advisory Board Chair David Clinton commended Papasodero because she “saw a hole and decided to fill it,” and said that there are ways the public’s voice can be heard in the process.

“Regardless of the outcome (at town meeting), nothing is going to stop you from putting those questions together to present them to the chair of the select board for dissemination,” he said.

‘A Feast of Conversations’ to bring neighbors together to talk about hope for the community

By Carol Britton Meyer

The Hull No Place for Hate Committee will host “A Feast of Conversations: Let’s Be Honest About Hate” with co-sponsors Wellspring Multi-Service Center and the Hull Lifesaving Museum on Sunday, April 30 (National Honesty Day), from 2 to 4 p.m. Participants will gather at the Nantasket Beach Resort, 45 Hull Shore Drive, for this free event. Weinberg’s Bakery will provide coffee and light refreshments.

“Our hope is to bring neighbors together to discuss the many ways that hate can show up in a community and to empower community members for positive and constructive actions,” NPFH Chair Valerie Carlson told The Hull Times. “Hull is a welcoming community, and the fact that the select board created the Hull No Place for Hate Committee is proof of this.

“However, there are incidents and attitudes in Hull – as in many communities – that make some

of us feel unsafe and threatened. The No Place for Hate Committee wants us all to be informed and proactive about hate in order to protect our diverse population from threats and to help us all feel and be safe.”

The Feast of Conversations will provide an opportunity for members of the community “to hear about each other’s various experiences and expectations for the community,” NPFH founding member Pam Wolfe said, noting that this event is especially suitable for teens and up.

Hull No Place for Hate invites everyone to participate in this community conversation featuring

guest speakers Becca Levitt, assistant regional director of the Anti-Defamation League; Hull Police Civil Rights Officer Detective Andrew Reilly; Wellspring President and CEO Vinny Harte; a member of Hull High School’s PRISM (Pride, Raising awareness, Involvement, Support, and Mentoring) student group; and Sasha Parodi, event planner for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council.

“After we hear from our speakers, we will break out into small groups to engage in conversation, with the goal of laying the groundwork for dealing with hate crimes and incidents in the future,” NPFH Clerk Celia Nolan said. “Facilitators from Hull No Place for Hate and Wellspring will guide the conversation about our own experiences and expectations for our town.”

NPFH’s goal, according to Nolan, “is to continue making Hull welcoming and to keep the conversation going in service of our Select Board-approved mission as a ‘non-partisan town committee dedicated to building bridges of understanding within our community while seeking to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion among all people.’”

NPFH’s goals are to:

• Promote a just and inclusive community;

• Provide support and education on diversity;

• Celebrate our differences.

RSVP to the April 30 event at https://bit.ly/FOCRSVP23, scan the QR code that appears with this article, or email hullnoplaceforhate@gmail.com.

Voters to consider term limits proposal at May town meeting

By Dolores Sauca Lorusso

A citizens’ petition that would set term limits for elected town officials will go before voters at the May 1 town meeting, although the advisory board will recommend unfavorable action on the proposal.

Article 24’s wording seeks to “petition a special act” by the Legislature that states that “no person may be elected as a member of a Town of Hull Board, Select-person Board, Light Board, etc. of the Town of Hull for more than three full terms or ten and one-half years, whichever is lesser.”

Petition sponsor Christopher Sweeney said he proposed the article to prevent board members from staying in office too long, and potentially “advancing their own agendas.” He cited the term of former select board member John Reilly, who served in that role for 27 years, as what “triggered his interest.”

“Term limits will prevent people from becoming too powerful in office and better reflect the will of the citizens,” Sweeney said. “While there are many reasons to support term limits the core purpose is to regularize the appointment process…if not, it ends up being a monopoly.”

“We have the ability to end the monopoly any time by voting them out,” replied advisory board member Bob Carney, who also said “it is good to see citizens active in civic life.”

Advisory Board Chair David Clinton said that most elected positions are unpaid, and that there are no health or pension benefits associated with being elected in Hull.

“Fifteen years ago, we removed any kind of benefits that could be associated with an elected board member’s stipend…all elected boards that have any kind of payment it is pretty modest,” Clinton said.

He outlined the annual stipends currently paid to elected officials: “Select board stipend is $2,500 for members and $3,000 for the chair. Municipal light board is $450 for members and $600 for the chair. Board of assessors is $400 for members and the chair is higher, not sure of exact amount, may be closer to $1,000. That is voted every year as a boilerplate article.”

The advisory board, which recommends action on articles for town meeting, unanimously voted to recommend that voters take unfavorable action on the term-limit proposal.

Carney said that an unexpected consequence of term limits would be an inability to fill vacancies when a member has to leave office because their term expires.

“To say a successful board member has to wrap up his/her term because of arbitrary term limits, even though that person is doing all the right things, is not going to add value,” Carney said.

“This year there is extremely high turnover on the select board…this is a solution in search of problems,” said member Jay Polito. He noted that Reilly, whom Sweeney cited in his presentation to the board, had been defeated by voters, so the system can “self-correct.”

Sweeney said he has seen people serving long terms in Hull, and it seems “stagnant, comfortable, complacent, and redundant.”

“Term limits reduce the likelihood of a board member becoming tired and losing vigor to encourage focused participation,” he said. “New board members are more likely to speak up with new ideas.”

Advisory Board member Robyn Healy said she was apprehensive about limiting terms and losing experience of members who have served for years.

“I am concerned about the loss of experience…On each of the boards you need to have background experience and understanding. Lose experience and you might financially go the wrong way,” said Healy.

Sweeney said studies have shown term limits “Reduce corruption, ensure greater fiscal responsibility, and lower taxes…the longer politicians stay in office the more of our dollars they spend.”

Town Counsel James Lampke said the wording of the article should specifically indicate that the town is looking to amend the town’s charter through special legislation.

“The warrant is like an agenda and the motion needs to have significant detail if petitioning the Legislature,” Lampke said. “Typically, when we petition the Legislature, we have a motion that says, ‘Move to petition the legislature as follows’ and then we give the language that we want to have them adopt.”

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