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61-426 Selectmen's Meeting Minutes November 1, 1999 A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held on Monday, November 1, 1999 in the Selectmen's Meeting Room, Town Office Building at 7:30 p.m. Chairman Enrich, Mrs. Eddison, Mrs. Krieger, Mrs. Abbott, Mrs. McKenna; Mr. White, Town Manager; Mr. Cohen, Town Counsel; and Ms. Smith, Executive Clerk were present. Public Comments Alan Lazarus from the Executive Board of the Town Meeting Members Association reported on the concern of some of their members that the recently distributed Town Y2K pamphlet increased anxiety rather than eliminated it. They felt the concern was so great that the Selectmen should send out a letter assuring members of the community that you have indeed tested the Town's facilities, that you do not expect things will happen and if they do, it should be short lived. Mr. Enrich thanked Mr. Lazarus and said the Board will be sending out a newsletter before the end of the year and the Board intends to address Y2K. The Town has also been approached by another group of citizens who feel that the Town's Y2K preparedness information is not enough. Mrs. Krieger reminded everyone that there is a Y2K informational meeting scheduled for November 18. Boston Edison, Boston Gas and Stop and Shop are ready for Y2K. Steve Tripi said he had read the article in last week's paper concerning the Board not speaking in unison. He indicated the way the article came off to him was that the Chairman was telling Board members how to talk to the Press and that they do not speak at meetings because they don't want the public to know what they are thinking. He said he read the article as saying the Chairman doesn't want Board Members to speak without the Chairman's approval. Mr. Enrich explained that was not what he intended to convey. For the most part the story in the Minute Man was an accurate reporting of what occurred at our meeting and my subsequent conversation with the reporter. The one point that you raised about members being silent at meetings for fear of being misquoted in the Press was not really what I intended to say and not what I believe I said. I believe what I said was that some members are hesitant about speaking with the Press. If that is not what I said, that is what I intended to say and I do think that is the case. I think there is a judgment that each member needs to make for themselves. I know that was one of the hardest things I had to learn to do was to talk with the Press in a way that I felt comfortable about both being open and accessible and honest and at the same time not finding myself taken out of context or misinterpreted. That was not dealing with the Lexington Press, but the Boston Press which may be of a somewhat different issue. The basic thrust of the remarks that I made in our meeting a couple of weeks ago was not in any way to suggest that any member shouldn't speak to the Press or should not in any way withhold their own views from the Press. It was rather that in speaking to the Press it is very important to draw the distinction between speaking on behalf of and representing the positions of the Board and speaking for and representing oneself as an individual. The concern was that several of the comments that were