LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Typical Behavior Witnessed at Beacon Hill

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Sudbury Patch has reached out to Both Larry O'Brien and State Rep. Tom Conroy for comment. Conroy has not responded. O'Brien said in an email he would be "glad to speak with you so that you can report accurately rather than using second hand information," but has yet to comment beyond that.)

The people of Sudbury should know that Larry O'Brien, Chairman of our Board of Selectmen, testified on Beacon Hill and told the Massachusetts Congress that the votes of the people of Sudbury should be ignored. 

Larry testified that the Sudbury Town Meeting Vote should be ignored and Myron Fox, our Town Moderator, failed to allow proper debate. Larry O'Brien told the State Legislature to step out and allow Larry to appoint 9 of his friends to study the expansion of the Board of Selectmen indefinitely. 

After all we have learned about Larry in recent months, I suppose we should not be surprised at this behavior.  But we have transgressed from unacceptable behavior to surreal behavior when an elected Sudbury Selectman testifies to dismiss the votes of the people of Sudbury whom he represents. 

Larry's surrogates, Susan Offner and Art Gutch, testified alongside Larry. Susan Offner continued her quickly dismissed rant about a "small faction of people rising up in Sudbury who want to ruin the schools." This tired and overused political tactic, used for years by the insiders, is no longer effective. 

How stupid Susan Offner must think people are, even people on Beacon Hill who do not live in Sudbury, to believe families with young children and many years of public education ahead of them could be characterized as "anti-school" and the Offners, who have no school-age children, but rely on taxpayer- paid pension benefits are the only people in town who support education.

Art Gutch was truly entertaining with his testimony.  Art backed up Larry by saying the people of Sudbury came to Town Meeting "because they were invited by their friends but didn't know what they're voting on." 

Art Gutch characterized the voters of Sudbury as members of a "flash mob" who assembled at Town Meeting spontaneously without knowing what they were voting on.  Personally, I think the people of Sudbury are the smartest, most educated, classiest and well-intentioned group of people I have ever been associated with.  They all knew and understood what they were voting on. 

Everyone I have ever met in Sudbury is very focused on education excellence. As ridiculous as the testimony from Art Gutch and Susan Offner was, the testimony from Larry O'Brien, Chairman of our Board of Selectmen, was the best case anyone on Beacon Hill could have made for why Sudbury needs more representation on our Board of Selectmen.

Robert Stein
Thompson Drive
Member of Finance Committee but not speaking on behalf of Finance Committee