UPDATED: Town Council Clerkbase blackout

No "live" report due to no Clerkbase coverage

By Will Collette

UPDATE: the Clerkbase video is now available.

I would have loved to give you the scoop on tonight's Town Council meeting. The problem is I decided not to go out given the warnings about icy roads and instead watch the live streaming Clerkbase video of the meeting.

But in a continuing series of baffling Clerkbase SNAFU's, there wasn't any of the live, streaming video that Charlestown pays $13,475 a year to provide.

Maybe the video will be posted tomorrow. Maybe Friday. Maybe never.

And last Wednesday's Planning Meeting was - once again - blacked out. No live video. No video posted later. And Winter Storm Nemo didn't happen until two days later, so that's not an excuse.

Instead of the Clerkbase link to the live, streaming video, there was this...

The failure of the town to reliably provide Clerkbase access is inconsistent with all the rhetoric about "open and transparent" government.

Makes me wonder if our town leaders have decided they've had quite enough of that openness and transparency, thank you very much.

Tonight's meeting was supposed to feature the CCA Aqua-NIMBY attack on a proposed, beneficial aquaculture project, of the type proven to improve the health of coastal ponds while also boosting the economy.

...When there was supposed to be this.

In my earlier coverage of Charlestown's new Aqua-NIMBY movement, I referred readers to the Clerkbase video so they could see and hear for themselves how our CCA leaders in town place their scenic pond views over the health of the ponds and jobs and the economy.

Looks like you won't be able to see how the next chapter - tonight's discussion about that project - played out.

If our CCA Town Council majority finds Clerkbase to be too embarrassing to them, they should simply do what the Planning Commission has already done and pull the plug.