March 2, 2022
Written by A.I. Miller
The Mayor Perry recently proposed several appointments to the Disability Commission as part of an effort to remove member Sid Harris, a 35-year advocate for the rights of people with disabilities.
At the June 7, 2021 city council meeting, a concerned citizen spoke during public participation and raised objections to the fact that these appointments would violate the City Charter and MGL, as they would fail to achieve the required composition of the commission: 9 members, a majority of whom have qualified disabilities, and one appointed or elected city official.
The subsequent appointment of these individuals by the Council did not fulfill the requirements of the Methuen Charter, MGL, and the public trust to provide fair representation for people with disabilities on the commission. Mr.Harris expressed that the planned to seek guidance from the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office if the issue was not addressed.
Two video clips from the June 7, 2021, City Council Meeting and the June 10, 2021, Special Meeting are available for reference.
Methuen City Charter: Section 3-31. Municipal Disability Commission
“A majority of said Commission members shall consist of people with disabilities. One member shall be a member of an immediate family of a person with a disability and one member of said Commission shall be either an elected or appointed official of the City of Methuen.”
Sid Harris’ Challenge to Appointments | Solicitor’s Accusation of Litigation | June 10, 2021 Special Meeting |
As per the definition of “litigation”, Mr. Harris feels he did not issue any threats of a lawsuit against the city concerning his comments with regard to the solicitor and the city council’s appointment of individuals without disabilities to the commission. Although this is in clear violation of the city charter and MGL Section, Mr. Harris simply highlighted his options to disagree.
“It is my strong belief that the city solicitor is not impartial and consistently leans towards the Mayor’s opinions instead of adhering to the charter’s intentions. This should be a serious concern for the city council.” Mr. Harris commented.
Merriam Webster Definition of litigation:
: the act, process, or practice of settling a dispute in a court of law : the act or process of litigating an issue that has been in litigation for years an attorney who specializes in the litigation of property disputes
The American Judicial System generally limits the filing of lawsuits to individuals with a personal stake in the litigation, but there are instances when litigants cannot themselves prosecute an action. — Jonathan Mahler
also: a legal action or proceeding (such as a lawsuit)”You can’t realize how much it costs to run one of these litigations. To get a battery of lawyers into a courtroom and do all the planning … and so on costs $500,000.”— Gordon Gould (emphasis added)
Sid Harris