Barre Select Board Approves Two Emergency Registrar Appointments Before Election Deadline

BARRE — September 28, 2016 — Barre Select Board fills two registrar vacancies at special session ahead of election deadline. The board voted unanimously at its September 28 special meeting to appoint Jessica Crawford as a Republican registrar, replacing Cheryl Hurst McAvitt for a term expiring in 2017, and Mary Compelino as a Republican registrar, replacing Robert Dwelly IV for a term expiring in 2019. Town Clerk Ellen Glidden requested the appointments in a September 20 letter, warning that the Board of Registrars could not act on "extremely time-sensitive and mandated matters" without the seats filled by October 3. Follow-up exchanges with Glidden confirmed the new registrars needed to begin training by October 4, prompting the board to call the special session rather than wait for its next regular Monday meeting. After the vote, a resident named Tom pressed the two-member board on whether it had fully explored Open Meeting Law provisions that might allow members to communicate between sessions; one selectman replied, "That rule doesn't exist, Tom. We've looked."