Town meeting took up Articles 37 and 41 on Wednesday (November 12) evening. Given what we saw in the precinct meetings, what could be aptly described as the "main event" promised to be a long, sometimes contentious debate.
It was.
Approximately a year ago, I favored an alternative to 419 Woods Hole Road, a.k.a. Webster Woods. At the time, Selectman Kevin Murphy threw down the gauntlet, challenging the Woods Hole community to develop an alternative. Last spring, preliminary plans were presented to town meeting, even as Marc Finneran and others pushed for a vote on the Affordable Housing Committee's proposal for 419 Woods Hole Road.
However, as the year has waned, I have slowly moved into the camp that would build affordable housing at 419 Woods Hole Road. There's no need to reiterate all of my thoughts here; you need only enter "Webster Woods" in the search box at the upper left and you'll see the evolution of my position on this issue.
As I noted on town meeting floor, I had no intention of speaking at length about Article 37. After Town Counsel Frank Duffy clarified my question about any conflict between 37 and 41 (the selectmen would have to hammer that out), I was done.
But the debate started to drift into the Oshman Way vs. 419 Woods Hole Road argument, and there were things that needed clarification, so I spoke for a few minutes.
In the end, I voted against Article 37 with the majority of town meeting representatives. Likewise, I was one of the majority of representatives who voted for Article 41. Unfortunately, 41 required a 2/3rds (66.7%) majority to pass, and at 116 to 73, it garnered just 61%.
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