Friends of Concord-Carlisle Playing Fields

The Concord Journal reports this morning that members of a special interest group, having lost their attempt to defeat the Concord-Carlisle fields initiative at Town Meeting by a margin of more than 70 to 30 percent, are circulating a petition to try again at a Special Town Meeting this summer.

Leaders of the special interest group voiced their discontent at a Selectmen's meeting Monday night, and were believed to have been trying to get the necessary signatures to force another Town Meeting to nullify the town's vote on Article 30, which was debated for nearly 5 hours before it was approved in a paper ballot by more than a two-thirds vote on April 24th.

According to the Concord Journal Article:

At the Board of Selectmen meeting on Monday evening, newly appointed Chairman Peggy Briggs said she would prefer to not see a special Town Meeting on the matter because it “will just extend the situation that much longer and I’m not convinced it will make a change.”

According to Town Clerk Anita Tekle, a special Town Meeting can be called one of two ways — by majority vote of the Board of Selectmen or by a petition signed by at least 200 registered voters.

A special Town Meeting costs anywhere between $12,000 and $15,000 for one night.

According to the article, Selectman Virginia McIntyre said that continuing to revisit Article 30 is "a waste of citizens' time and town resources."

Selectman Briggs added, "At the end of the meeting I do feel there was strong support throughout the meeting as [Article 30] was proposed."

The selectmen stated their surprise that a petition was not presented at their meeting on Monday, April 30th.  The board does not meet again until mid-May.