The Locked Doors Of Millbury: A Call For Transparency And Respect
What’s Your Town Hiding?
Local government should be the most accessible form of democracy—a place where neighbors shape their shared future. But when public records are hidden, meetings are closed off, and residents are treated as intruders, something is deeply broken.
This isn’t just inconvenient—it signals that officials may be more interested in shielding themselves than serving the public. A government that operates in the dark invites poor decisions, wasted funds, and lost accountability.
Transparency is not optional. Access to public records and meeting materials is the foundation of democracy. Without it, we cannot know whether our leaders are acting in the community’s best interests.
This is why residents spoke out on September 9, 2025, addressing the Board of Selectmen and Town Manager directly.
Good evening, fellow residents.
I want to talk to you tonight about something that affects every one of us, something that gets to the very heart of what it means to be a community. It’s about the relationship between our town government and the people it serves. Specifically, it's about what happens when that relationship is broken, when it's built on a foundation of locked doors, veiled processes, and a lack of respect.
When the doors to our town government are locked, both literally and figuratively, it sends a clear and chilling message. Requiring an appointment just to speak with a town official or staff isn't about efficiency; it's about control and exclusion. It suggests that residents are an inconvenience, not the very reason the government exists. The once-open flow of information is now a gated community, and we, the citizens, are left standing on the outside.
This lack of transparency extends to how our community's resources and information are managed. We've seen public records that were once freely available online, a testament to open government, suddenly disappear. To the Town Manager and to the Board of Selectmen, I ask directly: How can you justify to the taxpayers of Millbury the Town Manager’s decision to remove historical public records from our public view and the refusal to post all meeting materials? How can you justify requiring residents to file formal public records requests, only to provide a hand-picked portion of information—if any at all—while simultaneously increasing staff expenses and legal costs to address our complaints? This makes it nearly impossible for participants to be informed and provide efficient input on topics of interest. Our only recourse is to file Open Meeting Law and Public Records Law complaints, which could even nullify votes and official actions and have fines imposed. This isn't just a bureaucratic hurdle; it’s a systematic effort to hide the full story, to make it as difficult as possible for us to hold our government accountable.
And what about community feedback? It’s a bitter irony to hear town officials and staff complain about a lack of public participation at meetings, while simultaneously treating those who do show up with a shocking lack of decorum, rudeness, and even violations of their First Amendment rights. Our town government should be a two-way street, a place where our voices are heard and our concerns are taken seriously. Instead, we see our comments dismissed, our feedback disregarded, and our presence treated as an interruption. When town officials respond with such disrespect, it’s a profound betrayal of their duty. This behavior isn't just rude; it’s a corrosive force that erodes the trust essential for a healthy civic life.
The cumulative impact of these actions is far-reaching. It’s a loss of faith in our local institutions. When transparency, accessibility, and respect are gone, a community begins to disengage. People stop showing up. They feel powerless. And when citizens give up, the true community spirit starts to fade. The beautiful idea of a town run "of the people, by the people, for the people" becomes an empty promise.
But we are not powerless. This is not a town where we will accept locked doors and disregarded voices as the new normal. We have the right to be informed, the right to be heard, and the right to be treated with dignity. The better course of action for town officials and staff is clear: be transparent, put all meeting materials online when the agenda is submitted to the Town Clerk so everyone is on a level playing field, which is strongly encouraged in the Attorney General’s 2025 Open Meeting Law Guidelines. And most of all, don’t treat the public with rudeness and disdain. After all, you are here to serve us. We are not an inconvenience. Let’s work together to unlock those doors, to demand the information that is rightfully ours, and to restore a government that serves with respect and transparency. Our community deserves nothing less.
In closing, consider the cost of this closed-door approach. One Open Meeting Law complaint has already been filed, with associated legal expenses now footed by taxpayers. Two to three more are being prepared, along with a Public Records Law complaint—all as a result of two board meetings. To be transparent, using my talents and skills, I have developed an application that automates Public Records Law requests for all scheduled meetings in town. If these are not fulfilled completely, the system can generate Public Records Law complaints and Open Meeting Law complaints can also be filed. How many do you think it will take before the Attorney General steps in and starts assessing fines to the town? I am told that another nearby community has been fined thousands of dollars, had to rehold meetings and votes have been nullified. While I did not create this crisis, I am willing to lend my expertise in the solution and training of staff as necessary. I doubt that offer will result in a request for assistance, but I make it anyways. The Town Manager’s actions and those of boards and committees have set the course. They can choose the path of transparency, accountability, and inclusivity, or one of closed government that leads to mounting legal expenses and lost staff productivity. Speaking from my professional experience, it's clear that staff are not using the tools we provide and fund efficiently. A blatant example of this is the failure to use standard features like “Track Changes” in Microsoft Word to manage document edits, leading to confusion and unnecessary rework. Furthermore, I do not believe that powerful systems like Microsoft SharePoint and CivicPlus are being utilized to their full potential. The choice should be obvious. Change course and leverage the tools the taxpayers have made available to you to their full potential.
My challenge to you, the residents of Millbury, is this: let's not wait for fines or legal battles to restore our government. Let's start today. Show up to meetings, ask the tough questions, and demand that our town officials and staff remember who they serve. Let's make it clear that an open government isn't a privilege, but our fundamental right.
Thank you.
A Framework for Openness
Massachusetts law already provides a strong foundation:
Open Meeting Law requires public notice, open deliberation, and access to comment—ensuring decisions are made in the light.
Public Records Law guarantees access to nearly all government documents, putting the burden on officials to justify withholding them.
Record Retention Statutes prevent the quiet destruction of inconvenient records, protecting both history and accountability.
Together, these laws form a system of checks and balances. Ignoring them isn’t a procedural mistake—it’s a breakdown of democracy itself.
But these laws are not the ceiling of what Millbury can and should do—they are the floor. They set the minimum standard required to keep government from collapsing into secrecy. As a town, we should never settle for doing the least we can get away with. Instead, we should aspire to be a model of openness, using the law as a starting point and building a culture of transparency, efficiency, and respect that goes far beyond compliance.
Why Records Matter
Public records are not dusty archives; they are living tools of democracy. They:
Hold leaders accountable by letting residents follow the money, verify claims, and trace decisions.
Empower participation by giving residents the information needed for thoughtful input.
Preserve history so future generations understand how the town evolved.
Protect rights by providing evidence in property disputes, permit challenges, or civil complaints.
When records are hidden, officials control the narrative, suppress dissent, and obstruct participation. Residents must demand legal justifications for withheld documents; absent a valid exemption, refusal signals a deeper culture of secrecy.
A Call for a New Path
The September 9th testimony was more than a complaint—it was a turning point. Chairperson Mary Krumsiek acknowledged the concerns and pledged to follow up with the Town Manager. While other board members stayed silent, this moment is a chance for course correction.
The way forward is simple: respect the law, use the tools already in place, and treat residents as partners, not obstacles. But we must go further. Millbury should embrace not just the letter of the law but the spirit of it—posting all public records proactively, making meetings welcoming, and treating residents with respect at every turn.
Millbury now faces a choice: continue down the costly path of secrecy and litigation, or embrace openness, efficiency, and respect. Residents are watching—and we are ready to work with leaders who choose the better way.
The doors of government must be unlocked.