Orleans Select Board weighs draft code of conduct
Select Board 2026-09-23 Part 2 · Meeting of September 23, 2026
Orleans Select Board spends an hour dissecting a draft code of conduct, takes no vote. Chair Mefford Runyon had Assistant Town Manager Mike Salitro walk members through a draft stitched together from Plymouth, Carver, the Finance Committee and insurer MIIA's template policies. Town Counsel, identified only as Karis, warned that requiring civility from public commenters risks First Amendment problems, citing a recent Southborough case, and the board softened language from "expects" to "request" civil behavior from the public.
Member Mary Wright argued the code "was not" meant to regulate public behavior at all, only board and appointed-committee conduct. Members struck provisions on removing appointed officials and on requiring dissenters to restate majority views, and left unresolved how complaints should be handled for roughly two dozen of the town's 30 boards that don't report through the Town Manager.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 2,259 words
Source: the Select Board 2026-09-23 Part 2 meeting of September 23, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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