Boston City Council Fined

Story in Boston Globe on March 28th details how a superior court judge ruled that the Boston City Council violated the state Open Meeting Law 11 times over a period of almost two years imposing a$11,000 in fines and ordering the body to obey the law or face further action by the district attorney

Here is a small part:

In addition, the judge found, the council set up a shuttle system so that members could deliberate in secret about the proposed urban renewal plans. A BRA staff member counted the number of councilors in the room at any one time so there were never more than six present. Without a quorum, they reasoned, the open meeting law did not apply.

The judge dismissed that argument, as well. ''A governmental body cannot evade the requirements of the Open Meeting Law simply by meeting in smaller groups," she wrote. ''The council's attempt to head count its way around the Open Meeting Law is without merit."