Impetus for citizens’ petition on FinCom still unclear

The last item on the agenda for the June 25 Special Town Meeting is a citizens’ petition asking voters to have Finance Committee members named by the Select Board rather than the Town Moderator. But exactly why the organizers are pushing the measure is still unclear.

The Lincoln Squirrel obtained a copy of material that was given to people who were asked to sign the petition, which says that FinCom members are “appointed by a single individual through a closed process.” The proposed change would “encourage fresh ideas and broader perspectives” as well as “increase transparency and access.” The material also says that FinCom meetings are not routinely recorded or opened to the public via Zoom unlike several other committees, though it’s unclear how the proposed change would affect that.

In a reply to an email from the Lincoln Squirrel last week, one of those petition organizers, Suzanne Szeto, declined to comment on the underlying motivation for the proposal, saying that the group will discuss it at the June 16 Select Board meeting. Asked in a follow-up email if she would share names of other organizers, she replied, “I am sorry I don’t have the answer to your question and would appreciate if you could stop emailing me on this! Thank you!”