Massachusetts Town Meeting Spirals Out of Control

A town hearing in Massachusetts ended abruptly when the crowd became unruly, yelling, clapping and interrupting the speakers. The community of less than 8,000 became aggravated at the meeting Wednesday night when the proposal to ban sale items (cigarettes, electronic cigarettes and chewing tobacco) was discussed.

If this ban is pushed through in Westminster, Massachusetts, this town will make history by being the first. However, the residents remain unimpressed with the idea. In fact, the meeting was cut short when the Board of Health Chairwoman, Andrea Crete, abruptly brought it to an end.

According to Washington Post’s Sarah Larimer, Crete stated that “Nobody’s respecting the ground rules…we have to close it. The clapping. Everybody talking. Nobody is showing any respect to the board or to other people when they’re talking. We cannot have that. It’s going to spin out of control”.

It seems that those who spoke out did so in unison. Everyone who stepped forward with their opinion was in opposition to the proposal. Many of those individuals felt that the board was approaching the issue from a very radical and unilateral position.

The general feeling of the community seems to be dismay at the Board’s priorities. For example, why is the Board of Health not focusing on the salaries of police officers and others instead of worrying about this particular topic?

In a statement to the Herald, ban supporter David Sepplin remarked, “They’re confused. They’re confused about civics. The Board of Health is voting to protect the safety of the clients, the people here. They’re protecting them and they’re upset about it”.

The meeting was inconclusive and ended with Chairwoman, Andrea Crete, being whisked away under the protection of police officers.

With the storm still raging over the issue of electronic cigarettes, high risk merchant accounts will continue to be the financing choice of many who are struggling to succeed in the midst of the present controversy. emerchantbroker.com, for example, offers those in need of safe payment processing options despite the perceived “high risk”.

About the Author

Hi, I’m Blair Thomas and I’m a professional payment processor specializing in high risk merchant accounts. We’re also proud members of the Smoke Free Alternative Trade Association who provide facts to consumers regarding the Electronic Cigarette Industry.