Quorum decorum in Amenia

Sometimes it takes a lot of patience and control to serve, either through election or appointment, on a municipal board. There are so many rules and regulations to follow that one almost needs to become an expert to sort through what is proper and what’s not.

Last week the Amenia Planning Board met to hold a regular business meeting, but did not have enough members to make a quorum. Therefore the meeting could not be called into session. The members present did their best to change that. They made phone calls to try and draw members at the last minute so that they could hold a regular meeting. They were unsuccessful. Only three board members were present when all was said and done.

Those three members said very plainly that they were not holding a meeting, but were, rather, going to have a conversation with representatives from Silo Ridge Country Club, who were on the agenda for that night’s assembly.

The opportunity presented the three board members present a chance to glean new information about the project while they could. And because no new actions were taken, the board members did not break any laws by "meeting." Rather, they gave the 20 or so people in the audience a chance to gain more knowledge about the application while they, too, learned more about the plans for Silo Ridge.

However, they also deprived the absent board members a chance to learn what they learned, first-hand, about the application. That’s why it’s not good practice to conduct business, even informally, without a full board.

Chairman George Fenn and the other two board members present, Tony Robustelli and Bill Flood, walked a thin line, without slipping, and for that they should be commended. To the other board members who did not make it to the meeting, we understand that life happens and sometimes one just can’t do everything. Still, it would be nice to see a little more participation. There’s a need to continue to support our members, and, as always, we encourage and commend personal commitments and priorities.

As it happened, Fenn, Robustelli and Flood were able to keep their behavior and their conversation clean, so that the town of Amenia benefited. In the hands of others, this might not have been the case. But these guys are pros, and they acted like it last week. So where there could have easily been concern, there was none.

Unfortunately, the three members did not hear from other applicants on the agenda who left the meeting once it was declared a non-meeting. That was just bad timing.

However, the three members did their best to work with what they had. They understood the law, obeyed it and implemented an acceptable alternative to still make use of everyone’s time. But let’s hope this meeting without a quorum doesn’t become a trend.