Although four select board members and the town manager announced last week that negotiations had resulted in a new, three-year employment contract, the board did not immediately release the agreement, citing the need for additional review by labor counsel.
The Hull Times first requested the document on May 14 after the board announced the previous night that the agreement had been finalized in an executive session. After the request was denied by Chair Irwin Nesoff, the Times appealed to the state’s Supervisor of Public Records.
The newspaper contends that town’s reliance on the “deliberative process” exemption under the public records law no longer applies, and that draft documents – such as unapproved meeting minutes – are routinely released by public bodies…