Reject Article 3.   Accountability is not unimportant — it is essential — but this proposal is so permissive that it would expose every elected official in Sudbury to removal on the basis of nothing more than organized personal grievance.  A small faction who take the notion will be able to overthrow the votes cast…

A Citizen Petition requiring the calling of a Special Town Meeting (STM) for May 20, at a cost to the town of about $20,000, was filed with the Town Clerk in April.  The petition is asking the town for a vote of ‘no confidence’ against the Sudbury Public School Committee.  Such a claim is unprecedented…

The League of Women Voters of Sudbury opposes Warrant Articles 3 and 4 at the May 20 Special Town Meeting. Article 3 calls for a change to Sudbury’s charter to create a recall election process. Article 4 asks for a non-binding vote of no confidence in the Sudbury School Committee.  The Sudbury LWV opposes…

Sudbury neighbors – I’m writing in response to elected Select Board Vice Chair Janie Dretler’s opinion urging voters to reject Article 3, the citizen petition that would add a recall provision to Sudbury’s Town Charter. Her piece asks residents to believe this proposal is poorly designed and somehow dangerous to Sudbury’s stability. But when you…

I want to illustrate 4 scenarios that become possible if Article 3 passes as written. To be clear: I strongly support having a recall provision in our charter. Our neighboring towns - all have recall provisions as a means to hold elected officials accountable outside of standard election cycles. The issue is that Article 3…

By Janie Dretler, Vice Chair, Sudbury Select Board – I am writing this as an individual member of the Sudbury Select Board. These views are my own. On May 20, Sudbury voters will consider Article 3 at Special Town Meeting, a citizen petition seeking a Special Act to add a recall election provision to…

I am an appointed member of the Commission on Disability. I am writing in my individual capacity.  Now that Annual Town Meeting has concluded, Sudbury has an opportunity to consider what is at stake at the upcoming Special Town Meeting on May 20. Article 4, the proposed “No Confidence” petition directed at the Sudbury School Committee, should…

Mother’s Day is often about flowers, brunch and dinner reservations, handmade cards, and celebrating the women who shape our lives in countless ways. But this year, I’ve been thinking more deeply about what motherhood really represents in a community like Sudbury. It represents advocacy. It represents showing up when things are difficult. …

In 2023, 23.2% of Massachusetts high school students identified as LGBT or reported being unsure of their sexual orientation or gender identity according to a recent report from The Fenway Institute and the Equality Fund at the Boston Foundation. In Sudbury that year, only 62% of gender diverse Curtis Middle schoolers reported feeling welcome…