Natick Town Meeting OKs resolution to condemn those linked to Capitol riot
NATICK — Town Meeting passed a nonbinding resolution that condemned the actions of those who took part in the Jan. 6 riot inside the U.S. Capitol.
Tuesday night's 113-20 vote — with seven abstentions — gave a resounding thumbs-up to the resolution.
Members voted to strike a sentence before approval, because the language could be interpreted to paint those who voted down the measure as "complicit" to the attacks on the Capitol.
The stricken sentence read: "We too are members of government, and for us to view the abhorrent act that took place on January 6th without speaking out is to be complicit."
Jay Ball, a 30-year member of the elected body, drafted and presented the resolution.
It called the riot a “despicable act.”
“…be it resolved that we, the duly elected Members of Natick Town Meeting, condemn the actions of any and all persons who took part in this act of sedition, and declare that they in no way represent the sentiments of this body, or of the Town of Natick,” the resolution read in part.
It did not mention Sue Ianni, an elected Town Meeting member who was arrested and charged in connection with the riot. Ianni faces two charges: knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
Ianni’s three-year term is up next March. She was photographed inside the Capitol, raising her right arm in defiance among a throng of rioters.
It is unclear whether Ianni attended Tuesday's virtual Town Meeting session.
More:Legal opinion: Sue Ianni must be removed from Town Meeting if convicted and incarcerated
Ball told the Daily News on Monday that the resolution's wording was not finalized, and could call for censure or condemnation of any Town Meeting member who took part in the attack. But its final language did not take that step.
No legal standing
The resolution carries no legal standing, Town Moderator Frank Foss told the Daily News ahead of the vote. Town Meeting has no bylaw or definition that pertains to condemnation or censure.
“It’s an advisory, at best, and is nonbinding,” said Foss.
Town officials received numerous calls and emails calling for Ianni’s removal. An online petition sponsored by resident Ben Jackson demanded Ianni’s removal from Town Meeting, and collected more than 500 signatures.
More:Without naming Ianni, Natick board condemns 'shocking and disgraceful events' at Capitol
One week after the riot, then-Select Board Chairman Jonathan Freedman stated in an open meeting that the board doesn’t have the authority to remove a Town Meeting member. Town Meeting members are neither town employees nor officers, meaning the board has no authority over them or their tenure, said Freedman.
Also, the town's charter prohibits the recall of Town Meeting members.
In a Daily News story published two days after the riot, Ianni declined comment when asked if she had marched to the Capitol and entered the building. But she did say that "too many people were arrested wrongly for a peaceful protest after being waved in by Capitol police.”
Ianni also said she was the lead organizer for 11 buses of supporters of President Donald Trump that left Massachusetts the day before Jan. 6 protest that included a speech by Trump near the Capitol building. The bus trip was done on behalf of Super Happy Fun America, which Ianni described as “a civil-rights organization that peacefully protests the leftist cabal taking over this country.”
Ianni said those who attended the protest should not be labeled "domestic terrorists."
“We were expressing our First Amendment rights to protest an illegal election,” Ianni said of Super Happy Fun America's attendance in Washington. “It was very moving, very inspiring. It’s what America is all about.”
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