LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Questioning Sudbury's Traditions

Tradition is the handing down of information, beliefs and customs by word of mouth from one generation to another without written instruction. But, like the game where several players sit in a circle and whisper a message from one player to the next, the tradition can be easily misinterpreted, re-interpreted or even maligned. 

At the Nov. 7 Board of Selectmen (BOS) meeting one agenda item was a vote to approve extending the licensed closing hours and serving of alcoholic beverages on Thanksgiving Day from 12:00 AM to 1:00 AM for Bistro 20 and from 1:00 AM to 2:00 AM for Lavenders. 

Selectman Haarde questioned what good would result from serving alcohol at those hours. Selectmen Drobinski and O’Brien responded that it was a tradition to do this over Thanksgiving Vacation when “our kids are home from school.” 

When voted, the vote was 2 to 1 in favor. Selectman Drobinski and O’Brien voted yes to extend the serving of alcohol while “our kids are home from school.” These are the same Selectmen Drobinski and O’Brien who decided Sudbury does not have a tradition of rotating the Chairmanship of the Board of Selectmen and decided Sudbury does not have a tradition of open public comment at BOS meetings. 

Our recent behavior indicates tradition in Sudbury is not passed down and memorized from generation to generation. Tradition is defined by the BOS and invoked or rejected at their convenience. Perhaps the BOS should write down our traditions so all residents can work from the same agenda.  

Sudbury, we can do better.

Dan De Pompei

Haynes Road