Just a little legal reasoning in response to the Sun Journal editorial of July 12.
Would you please explain to me why the Legislature would require a ballot for electing a selectboard chairperson and then require the votes to be made public? Why not a simple show of hands?
Why would the Legislature require a secret ballot election for chairperson? Perhaps because it wants the selectboard at its initial meeting to elect a chairperson without the clique-forming, passion-arousing, public show of votes, and because it wants the members to vote without fear of intimidation or retaliation by a crusty, old, dominating chairperson.
Maybe you can think of other reasons.
I hope you will forgive my impertinence in saying the editorial board got that one wrong.
Selectman Ted Kurtz, Paris
Editor’s note: On Monday, the Paris Board of Selectmen held an open vote in public session to ratify its previous election of chairman and vice chairman by secret ballot.
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