[Massplanners] Question about becoming the least patriotic town planner in...

[jwdpro]

The Chelsea Planning Board does not recite the Pledge.  It's never been brought up as an issue in the 30+ years I've been serving as the staff to the Board.  If the Board directed me to, I would add it to the agenda, but isn't the 7 years of reciting it each morning in elementary school enough to show my allegiance?John DePriestDirector of Permitting & Land Use PlanningCity Hall, Rm 106500 Broadwaye eeChelsea, MA 02150617-467-4182jdepriest at chelseama.govSent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
-------- Original message --------From: "Danielson, Stephanie via MassPlanners" <massplanners at masscptc.org> Date: 12/15/23  10:55 AM  (GMT-05:00) To: Harry LaCortiglia <hlacortiglia at comcast.net>, massplanners at masscptc.org Subject: Re: [Massplanners] Question about becoming the least patriotic town planner in... 

Couldn’t agree more…
 


From: MassPlanners <massplanners-bounces at masscptc.org>
On Behalf Of Harry LaCortiglia via MassPlanners
Sent: Friday, December 15, 2023 10:32 AM
To: massplanners at masscptc.org
Subject: Re: [Massplanners] Question about becoming the least patriotic town planner in...


 
Hi Thom,
Our Planning Board doesn't do a pledge before, after, or during our meetings. We're elected officials. 
Shortly after being elected we pledged to uphold the laws of the Commonwealth when we were being sworn in by the Town Clerk,.

Seems to me that a Pledge of Allegiance before each and every meeting would be somewhat redundant given that we've already all done it, at least once.

One would have to ask...
If the pledge needed to be taken before every meeting that we hold, does that mean the pledge somehow expires between meetings? At what point does the
 Pledge expire? 
Do Pledges of Allegiance have half-lives? 
Are they only good for the duration of the meeting and then need to be renewed at the next meeting? What about when meetings are paused for only a few
 minutes? Do we need to "re- pledge" if an intermission is of a certain length?
Good thing it's a Friday...
Before anyone asks, we do not play the Star Spangled Banner at the beginning of the meetings, either. Nor is it softly playing in the background during
 the meetings.
(Our upcoming meeting may have a Mariah Carey holiday tune playing in the background though...)
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=fRyhqobl0sk

H. LaCortiglia
Georgetown
 
 

On 12/13/2023 12:45 PM, Thomas Bott via MassPlanners wrote:








Dear Planners:


The Board in CranberryLand USA is still working on finding their way. We have had some very
 interesting conversations about the Agenda recently. My question might just make me that most unpatriotic planner in Murica, but sometimes we have to ask the tough questions.


 


Does the Planning Board that you work with recite the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning
 of their meeting? I have been in the process of updating the Board's Operating Procedures   https://www.carverma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif4221/f/uploads/pb_procedures_revised_6-29-2016.pdf 
  and there are no pledges noted in the policies nor on their Agenda, nevertheless they persist. No pledges including a Pledge to the Zoning Bylaw nor a Pledge to the Subdivision Regs  not even a pledge for a Nina Toten Bag https://shopnpr.org/this-is-nina-totin-bag are
 cited. 


 


It seems like a regular feature in some communities for the Select Board but these folks
 selected the Planning Board for their public service. 


I would be much obliged as well if you wanted to share any of your policies and procedures.


Thanks much,


TBott, fellow traveler? 


 


 




Thomas Bott Carver Town Planner


 


Practicing
 Planning in the Commonwealth since the last Millennium  #TownPlannerSilverJubilee















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