Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Town Meeting voted Monday night in favor of a resolution that urges state legislators to push for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Needham has joined more than 45 other communities across Massachusetts in passing a resolution urging state legislators to seek an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would overturn the Supreme Court's controversial 2010 Citizens United decision. Article 23 on the town’s 2012 Annual Town Meeting warrant was the first and only item to come up Monday night, May 14, when the annual meeting was reconvened for a third time, following the conclusion of the May 2012 Special Town Meeting. After about an hour of discussion, Article 23 was brought to a voice vote, passing with majority support. The article addresses the Supreme Court’s ruling, in the 2010 case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, by a vote of 5-4, that it was …
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1471 Highland Ave, Needham, MA
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Monday, May 7, 2012
This letter to the editor was submitted by a Needham resident.
- GOVERNMENT
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Monday, May 7, 2012
When our 2012 Annual Town Meeting convenes on May 7 next, it will find an unusual article on its warrant, inserted by the selectmen on a citizen's petition under state law. Warrant Article 23 calls upon the Town Meeting to support an amendment to the U.S. Constitution which would overturn a decision of the United States Supreme Court relative to corporate and union spending on elections. It would also petition our state legislature to endorse such a constitutional amendment. The citizen's petition addresses the rights of “persons” under the First, Fifth, and 14th Amendments of our federal Constitution, as interpreted by opinions of the United States Supreme Court over nearly two centuries. It concerns basic rights of all Americans, …
Thursday, April 26, 2012
The board voted 3-2 on Tuesday, April 24 to support an article on the Annual Town Meeting warrant that seeks a constitutional amendment to overturn the controversial 2010 Supreme Court decision.
Needham Town Meeting will have the chance in May to share its views on the U.S. Supreme Court’s controversial Citizens United decision, but the five-member Board of Selectmen was split this week on whether to support the measure, with some members saying the issue was too broad for a local Town Meeting. Selectmen voted 3-2 in favor of supporting the article on the May 7 Annual Town Meeting warrant, with selectmen Dan Matthews and Matt Borrelli on the opposing side. The article, which was placed on the warrant by a citizen’s petition, calls for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would essentially reverse the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United ruling by clarifying that the First Amendment is not meant to protect the freedom of …
42.28049
-71.23606
Needham Town Hall
1471 Highland Ave, Needham, MA
/articles/selectmen-split-on-citizens-united-issue
2004019
/locations/6881581
Ross M. Donald
8:33 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
I first got to meet and know Mr. Powers, not as a Town Meeting Member, but, casually, over breakfast, as a regular fellow customer at the "Glover Memorial Hospital" Coffee Shop. He is a wonderful resource for the Town in these regards with a wealth of information and experience. We should be grateful that he took the time to provide this background history for us. Thank you, Mr. Powers. …   more ›