Canton, Massachusetts · Saved source text

SPECIAL TOWN MEETING WARRANT FALL 2023.pdf pdf file

Town Meeting · Record year 2023 · Record a044d6b26ace46312b

Saved text from 5 source pages. Transcription and OCR may contain errors; verify figures and wording against the original. Retrieved 2026-10-15.

Town of Canton
Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Norfolk, ss
To the Constables of the Town of Canton,

Greetings:

In the name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts you are hereby required to notify
and warn the inhabitants of the Town of Canton to meet at Morse Auditorium, on the
grounds of the Canton High School, 900 Washington Street in said town on;

SPECIAL TOWN MEETING
MONDAY, THE TWENTIETH DAY
OF NOVEMBER 2023

At seven-o’clock (7:00 P.M.) in the evening at which time and place the following articles
are to be acted upon:

ADOPT THE RULES TO GOVERN SPECIAL TOWN MEETING

Article 1 To see if the Town will vote to adopt certain procedures to govern the conduct
of the 2023 Special Town Meeting; or to take any other action related thereto.
Select Board

ADOPT THE RULES TO GOVERN SPECIAL TOWN MEETING

Article 2 To see if the town will vote to adopt certain procedures to govern the conduct
of the 2023 Special Town Meeting; or to take any other action related thereto.

Motion 1 Moved: That this 2023 Special Town Meeting shall meet on Saturday
mornings in the Morse Auditorium on the grounds of the Canton High School, 900
Washington Street, until the business of this Special Town Meeting has been concluded,
each such session to begin at 10:00 o’clock A.M. and to adjourn at 2 o’clock P.M., or as
near that hour as may be feasible, according to the nature of the business pending at the
said hour.

Kathleen Howley and 306 others

Page 1

ELECT A MODERATOR

Article 3 To elect a Moderator to preside at this Town Meeting to serve until the
commencement of the Annual Town Meeting in 2024; or take any other action related
thereto.

Kathleen Howley and 306 others

ACCOUNTABILITY OF SELECT BOARD AND POLICE DEPARTMENT

Article 4 To have the five Select Board members and the senior management of the
Canton Police Department, including the chief of police and senior leadership, respond to
concerns from registered Canton voters; or take any other action related thereto.
Kathleen Howley and 306 others

WHETHER THE TOWN WILL PROCEED WITH VOTES OF NO CONFIDENCE

Article 5 To see if the Town wishes to proceed, having heard from its leaders, with votes
of no confidence in 1) its Select Board and 2) Canton Police Department Leadership that
will leave those members and those employees in office while expressing our
dissatisfaction with their performance that so far has failed to meet our standard of good
and ethical governance; or take any other action related thereto.

Motion 1 That the citizens of Canton, here assembled at town meeting, vote no
confidence in the leadership of the Select Board: Thomas W. Theodore, Chair; John J.
Connolly, Vice Chair; Michael C. Loughran, Clerk, Christopher M. Albert and John R.
McCourt.

Motion 2 That the citizens of Canton, here assembled at town meeting, vote no
confidence in the leadership of its Police Department including but not limited to the
Chief of Police, Helena Rafferty.

Kathleen Howley and 306 others

INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATIONS INTO ITS SELECT BOARD AND POLICE
DEPARTMENT

Article 6 To see if the Town wishes to authorize an independent investigation into and an
audit of its government including the Select Board and Police Department; or to take any
other action related thereto.

Motion 1 The Select Board is hereby authorized and compelled to request an
independent investigation into and audit of our town government including the Canton
Select Board, the Police Department, and any other department as need may arise. Said
investigation must be requested in writing to the State Attorney General and the State
Auditor no later than 30 days following the close of town meeting, If the Select Board
fails to transmit a letter requesting an investigation, the Town Clerk is instructed to

Page 2

transmit a copy of the warrant, minutes and a certified copy of the results of this Special
Town Meeting; or take any other action related thereto.

Motion 2 If the Select Board and the Town Clerk fail to transmit said request to the State
Attorney General and State Auditor, the citizen sponsors of this Special Town Meeting
may employ a constable or a Justice of the Peace to transmit a copy of the warrant,
minutes, and a certified copy of the results of this Special Town Meeting.

Motion 3 If the State Attorney General and the State Auditor are unable to undertake the
aforementioned investigation and audit, that the sum of Two Hundred Thousand Dollars
($200,000) be transferred from Free Cash (Undesignated Fund Balance) for the purpose
of funding the investigation and audit of the town government including the Select Board,
the Police Department, and any other department as need may arise by a person or firm
recommended by the State Attorney General or State Auditor, or another independent
person or firm to be chosen by an independent group of citizens as appointed by the
Special Town Meeting under conditions decided by voters, Under no circumstances can
any members or family members of the Select Board or any employees or family
members of the police department or other town employees or family members choose or
influence the choice of the person or firm who will be hired to undertake the
investigation.

Kathleen Howley and 306 others
MOVE ANNUAL MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS TO NOVEMBER

Article 7 To see if the Town will direct the Select Board to file, within ninety (90) days
of a favorable vote by Special Town Meeting, a petition with the General Court for
special legislation allowing Canton to hold annual municipal elections on the first
Tuesday after the first Monday in November, or take any other action related thereto.
Elizabeth-Jo Rohr and 148 others

TERM LIMITS FOR SELECT BOARD MEMBERS

Article 8 To see if the Town will direct the Select Board to file, within 90 days ofa
favorable vote, by a Special Town Meeting, a petition, with the General Court for special
legislation allowing Canton to impose a lifetime limit of 15 years for a person to serve on
the Select Board for the Town of Canton, permitting any person who may be impacted by
this limit to serve out his or her term, or to take any action related thereto,

Kathleen Howley and 117 others

Page 3

And you are hereby directed to serve this warrant by posting attested copies at the Post
Office and at not less than six other public places at least twenty-one days before the day
the said meeting is held.                                      ;

Hereof fail not, and make due return of this warrant with your doings thereon to
the Town Clerk before the day the said meeting is held.

Given under our hands and seals this 27th day of October in the year two thousand and
twenty-three.

Town of Canton Select Board

Thomas W. Theodore, Chair

ek
Michael C. Loughran, Clerk                   Christopher M. Albert, Member

 A   Ae WY     a
John jh McCourt, Member

Page 4

CONSTABLES RETURN OF SERVICE

Norfolk, ss

Pursuant to the within Warrant to me directed, I have notified and warned the inhabitants
of the Town of Canton to meet at the time and places mentioned in the said warrant and
for the purposes as stated in the said Warrant by posting up attested copies of the same at
the Post Office and at six other public places in the town twenty-one days, or more,

before the day set in the said warrant.

Date on which the said notices were posted

Octaber  at, 2023

eS A. Lhe IO

Constable

Received and filed in the Office of the Town Clerk on

Ocd. 30, Dood

Tracy Kenney, Towr-Clerk

Page 5