GREENFIELD — After further research into possible options for how the Greenfield School Committee might work with a mediator to settle inner-committee conflict while not violating Open Meeting Law, members agreed on Wednesday that such efforts would not be necessary and that they would proceed with business regardless of whether they get along.
“In order to get work done, we don’t have to do it harmoniously,” member Elizabeth DeNeeve said. “People don’t have to have harmony to get work done. You can get work done in conflict, and if all the negative emotions and anger, conflict and passion is what gets a fire under our a**** to work for the students, then so be it. I’m not afraid of conflicts with any of you.”
Earlier this year, the committee had voted to hire a mediator — at an estimated rate of $150 per hour for in-session mediation and $100 per hour for out-of-session work — to help resolve inner-committee conflict, and promote congeniality and productivity among members. The vote was rescinded in March, however, after local attorney Isaac Mass sought an opinion from Assistant Attorney General for the Division of Open Government Matthew Lindberg. Lindberg advised that Open Meeting Law “does not allow a public body to meet with a mediator in executive session to discuss internal business.”
“Open Meeting Law has 10 very specific reasons why you can go and do executive session — one of the 10 is related to mediation, but that is for mediation with other parties or entities. It’s a direct correlation to the litigation provision where you can go into executive session to discover litigation,” Mass said in early March. “It is not designed for mediation related to internal conflict or governance of a public body.”
School Committee member Melissa McKenzie Webb said she feels the committee has proven itself to be productive in the months since a mediator was first proposed.
“We have done a lot of work since January without mediation involved, and I think everyone is doing their best to put their best foot forward,” Webb said.
“I feel like we’re all working really hard to move forward,” member Melodie Goodwin added. “I haven’t even thought about this.”
The committee agreed to proceed with regular business without the help of a mediator, with members saying they should work to set an example of civility for the students.
“We’re all on a path together, we’re moving forward. We can conflict, we don’t have to like each other, but civility is really important,” DeNeeve said. “We’ve seen civility, but we’ve also done more work than I’ve ever seen this committee ever do before. … Let us be good examples to our students about things not to do to each other.”
