By Adam Swift
In July, the state approved changes to the town charter.
One of those changes states that a town councilor is considered to have abandoned their position if they miss three consecutive meetings or half of the scheduled meetings over a three-month period. However, the councilors can remain in office if there is a two-thirds vote by the council to exclude the absent councilors from the attendance provisions.
Tuesday night, the council voted 7-0 to excuse three absences over a three month period by Councilors Rob DeMarco and John DaRos,
DeMarco and DaRos abstained from the vote.
“I constantly look at attendance, it came to my awareness that over a period from September, October, November there were two councilors that by the new rules of the charter, the abandonment clause, had abandoned their positions,” said Council President Jim Letterie. “There is an exclusion if two-thirds of the council, so if six councilors vote to exclude that councilor from that fate.”
Letterie noted that there has been a lot going on in the town over the past year, and that the state approval of the charter changes did not come back to Winthrop until July 29.
“We did not make a big announcement that this came back July 29, so I would entertain a motion … to exclude the two councilors, Councilor DeMarco and Councilor DaRos from the abandonment that they entered into,” said Letterie.
The council president added that as of Jan. 1, there may not be as much leeway for councilors who meet the criteria of the abandonment clause.
“Everybody has been made aware, everybody understands the guidelines, the expectations that have been set, they would go forward in the new year with new rules,” said Letterie. “There is so much that goes on in people’s lives, and this is something that kind of slipped through, but we are all aware of the expectations going into the new year and we feel very confident that everybody is going to adhere to those expectations.”