2020-06-15 Annual Town Meeting Minutes

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ANNUAL TOWN MEETING Virtual Town Meeting June 15, 2020 via Zoom Webinar Each Precinct met via Zoom Webinar on date and time listed with each Precinct notes below. During each Precinct meeting a presentation was given on the process of how a virtual Town Meeting was going to be conducted. Each Precinct conducted the following business: Precinct 1 — Met Thursday, June 11" at 8:00 PM. With a Quorum present elected Sheila Mulroy as Precinct Chair and Roy Benjamin as Precinct Clerk. Precinct 2 — Met Thursday, June 11th at 7:00 PM. With a Quorum present elected Anthony D'Arezzo as Precinct Chair and Susan Craven as Precinct Clerk. Precinct 3 — Met Wednesday, June W at 8:00 PM. With a Quorum present elected John D Breslin as Precinct Chair and Michelle R Greenwalt as Precinct Clerk. A vote was taken to appoint Laura Fusco to fill a vacancy. Precinct 4 — Met Wednesday, lune 10th at 7:00 PM. With a Quorum present elected Russell Graham as Precinct Chair and Mary Ellen O'Neill as Precinct Clerk. Precinct 5 — Met Tuesday, June 9"' at 8:00 PM. With a Quorum present elected Edward J Ross as Precinct Chair and Angela Binda as Precinct Clerk. A vote was taken to elect Jeanne Thomases on a tie breaker vote from the March 3, 2020 election. Precinct 6 — Met Tuesday, June 9th at 7:00 PM. With a Quorum present elected Etain O'Dea as Precinct Chair and Joseph Carnahan as Precinct Clerk. Precinct 7 — Met Monday, June 8th at 8:00 PM. With a Quorum present elected Jennifer Hillery as Precinct Chair and Jeffrey W Struble as Precinct Clerk. Precinct 8 — Met Monday, June St^ at 7:00 PM. With a Quorum present elected David Traniello as Precinct Chair and Shawn Brandt as Precinct Clerk. As this was the first Virtual Town Meeting in the history of the Town of Reading a mock Town Meeting was conducted on Friday, June 12th at 3:00 PM as a practice session for all Town Meeting Members and Staff. The Moderator walked through the process of a Virtual Town Meeting. The Moderator appointed an Assistant Moderator to help with anyone who wanted to attend in person at the Performing Arts Center at Reading Memorial High School. Stephen Crook, Precinct 2 acted as Moderator with six Town Meeting Members present. The meeting was called to order by the Moderator, Alan E. Foulds, at 7:30 PM, there being a quorum present. The Invocation was given by Philip Pacino, Precinct 5, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. Stephen Crook was sworn in as Assistant Moderator and all new members of Town Meeting was sworn -in. The Constables return of the Warrant was read by the Town Clerk. The following announcement was made by the Moderator: Good evening fellow Readingites, Our community has operated under the Town Meeting form of government from its beginnings, 376 years ago this week. Putting that in perspective, William Bradford, who came over on the Mayflower, was the once and future governor of the Plymouth Colony and John Winthrop finished his term as governor of Massachusetts the day we were incorporated. The Salem Witch Trials were still a half century in the future, rl Page