Proposed Drinking Bylaw Sparks Clash Between State Rep. Sullivan and Town Counsel
The Norwood Board of Selectmen finalized a 22-article warrant for the upcoming November 17 special town meeting last night, highlighted by a controversial last-minute article designed to grant local police the power to arrest individuals for public drinking violations.
Submitted by State Representative Gregory W. Sullivan (D-Norwood), the proposed measure would replace Norwood’s existing two-year-old public drinking bylaw with a stricter ordinance modeled after Canton’s. Under the current law, police lack the authority to make arrests for public drinking, a limitation Police Chief James F. Curran said has severely hampered enforcement because officers cannot legally seize evidence to use in court.
The legislative push stems from the state’s 1972 decriminalization of drunkenness—designed to steer alcoholics toward medical treatment rather than penal institutions—which left many towns struggling with spikes in teenage drinking and public vandalism. While Town Counsel Justin C. Barton warned that the arrest provision would likely be declared unconstitutional because only the state possesses the authority to enact laws carrying arrest penalties, Sullivan strongly disagreed. Sullivan maintained that he consulted officials in the state attorney general’s office and felt “absolutely convinced” of the town’s legal standing, dismissing Barton as being “overly conservative” in his interpretation. Sullivan indicated he would defend the proposal directly on the town meeting floor.
Additional Warrant Articles Cover Municipal Budgets, School Costs, and Airport Control
Beyond the drinking bylaw debate, the 22-article warrant addresses a wide array of financial and administrative matters:
- Employee Pay Increases: Articles request funding to cover newly negotiated wage settlements with municipal employees, though formal agreements had only been finalized with school teachers and police officers.
- School Department Requests: The school committee submitted funding articles for unpaid utility bills, police supervision costs, and special education expenses, alongside an article seeking to repeal actions from the May town meeting regarding a defeated school-and-cemetery land swap.
- Airport Governance: Two articles target airport operations: one seeking to strip the airport commission of its authority to execute lease agreements, and another petitioning the state legislature to unlock funds for runway repairs.
Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger
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