DIXFIELD – At their board meeting at 4:30 p.m. Monday, April 26, in the Ludden Library community room, selectmen are expected to address their meeting format.

Other topics include discussions about articles for a May 24 special town meeting warrant, and resident Sonya Fuller’s April 12 request that selectmen remove themselves as Water Department trustees, creating a separate board for that purpose.

At a Jan. 12 meeting, Chairman Hugh Daley established a new meeting protocol for the board by threatening to quit as chairman unless selectmen agreed with him.

Instead of allowing people in the audience to repeatedly interrupt discussions among selectmen on municipal matters, the format relegates public comment to the end of meetings.

By doing this, he sought to regain control of meetings, that in the past had a tendency to spiral out of control and into argumentative verbal clashes.

Things were fine until the board’s April 12 meeting in East Dixfield, when Fuller and resident Brenda Turbide – neither of whom were at the Jan. 12 meeting – peppered the board and Daley with an onslaught of questions over why they had changed meeting protocol.

Fuller then accused Daley of borderline harassment and discrimination for silencing her from interrupting acting Public Works director Tim Hanson’s report at the April 12 meeting.

But, she said, he then allowed four other people to speak up.

“I’m not here to antagonize anyone. I have an interest in the town,” Fuller said.

Turbide repeatedly asked the board why it didn’t use Roberts Rules of Order, even after Daley and Selectman Montell Kennedy answered her initial question.

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