Five Precinct Chairs

Dedham Town Meeting

As Town Meeting Members for a collective 24 years, and now Chairs of our respective precincts, we strongly support Liz O’Donnell for Town Moderator. 
 
With Dan Driscoll as our Town Moderator for the last 33 years, we’ve been accustomed to having Town Meeting run by someone who not only knew the intricate procedural rules of how to preside over our Town’s legislative body, but who also understood the boundaries of their role.  A Town Moderator needs to be unbiased and without any agenda. It’s not their job to take a position on Town issues or inject their own opinions on any matters being considered by Town Meeting. In fact, it’s critical that the Town Moderator does not. 

Our Town Moderator must remain neutral in order to ensure the legitimacy, fairness, and integrity of Town Meeting. Residents must believe the process is fair, even if they disagree with the outcome of a given vote.  Residents and Town Meeting members need to trust that Finance and Warrant Committee members are appointed based on their commitment to thorough, open dialogue, not a specific ideology. We need a Town Moderator who is committed to facilitating hard conversations in a respectful manner, who protects space for differing opinions, and who keeps debate focused on the issues when things may get contentious.  

We believe that Liz O’Donnell is the best choice for our next Town Moderator. As a Town Meeting Member for 10 years, followed by the last 10 years as a member of the Finance and Warrant Committee, she has a deep understanding of how vital it is for Town Meeting to be run fairly, lawfully and effectively.   We have witnessed her commitment to productive debate and have appreciated her clear and helpful communications on behalf of the Finance Committee.  

The Town Moderator is the guardian of legislative process in Dedham. Now more than ever it’s essential we have the right person at the helm. Liz O’Donnell is the right person for the job.  Please join us in voting for Liz on April 11th (or before!)
 
Bryan Duceman-Plummer
Molly Uppenkamp
Stephanie Matern 
Christi Gorelli 
Micah Flynn