Coronavirus and democracy: Southwick voters keep their distance during outdoor Town Meeting

Posted Mar 24, 2020

Townspeople gather in the Southwick Regional School parking lot in one parking space per family to vote on three articles in a special town meeting Tuesday. (Manon L. Mirabelli photo)

By Manon L. Mirabelli | Special to The Republican

SOUTHWICK — Townspeople gathered in the Southwick Regional School parking lot for an outdoor special Town Meeting in an effort to keep voters from contracting the coronoavirus while attending to time-sensitive business.

Most of the crowd, with many wearing gloves and masks, did not have an issue with the town health directive of moving the meeting outdoors, but resident Cynthia Marshall balked at putting herself in danger of illness in order to exercise her right to vote.

“This meeting could have been postponed 30 days,” she said.

Selectman Joseph Deedy said it was important to move forward with the meeting because Article 3 pertained to the $800,000 aluminum sulfate treatment of Congamond Lakes that must be done when the water is a certain temperature. Early April, he said, is the time when the lake temperature is perfect for water treatment.

Resident Michelle Pratt, a member of Citizens Restoring Congamond, spoke in support of the lake treatment plan, saying, “We really need this to happen.”

“We’re going to be happy we did this when we’re on the other side of the COVID-19 curve,” she said.

Southwick resident Cynthia Marshall expressed her disapproval with the town moving ahead with a special Town Meeting amid the caronavirus outbreak. (Manon L. Mirabelli photo)

Stacie Phettenplace, who lives on Congamond Lake, thought the meeting was important enough for her to attend with a broken leg while standing out in the cold.

“This needed to be done,” she said.

Townspeople voted overwhelmingly in favor of the lakes treatment spending. They also passed the other two articles.

Residents approved granting an easement for maintaining Berkshire Avenue as requested by the Board of Selectmen and the Department of Public Works, and voted in favor of appropriating $12,000 for lighting and electrical outlets at Whalley Park Pavilion.

The Town Meeting was originally scheduled for Monday at 6:30 p.m. in the school auditorium, but was postponed until Tuesday at 6 p.m. due to snowfall and moved outdoors to keep people at a safe distance from one another.

Voters checked in with the town officials, then proceeded to one parking space per family in which to stand or sit.

Town Clerk Michelle L. Hill said 138 of Southwick’s about 6,000 voters turned out.

“This was a tremendous turnout for being outdoors,” she said.

Town Moderator James Putnam II said in an email on Monday that the plan was announced last Thursday through social media, the town website, and the media.

“It is important to note that at that point, there was no legal change to the date, time, and location of the special town meeting other than moving it from the auditorium to the parking lot.”

Putnam also said the plan was a group effort, with everyone tasked with balancing time-sensitive town business and the health of the people.

“Over the course of last week, my team and I developed a plan that would balance the normal legal requirements for a town meeting with the need to comply with public health directives,” he said. “I applaud their extraordinary cooperation and collaboration, but also acknowledge that I am fully responsible for the final decision in my elected responsibility as town moderator.”