By Carol Britton Meyer

The first night of Hull’s annual town meeting on May 1 was a lively event, spanning nearly four hours while addressing only four of the 26 warrant articles. The meeting was continued to the following evening in the Hull High School auditorium.

The proposed assistant town manager position – at a salary of around $130,000 – took center stage during an almost two-hour discussion.

Funding for that position is included in the select board’s portion of the $47,542,888 budget, which was overwhelmingly approved on a 293 to 73 vote. [See related story].

A lottery system determines the order in which the articles will be taken up once the vote is tallied on the combined municipal and school budget. While the advisory board’s recommendations appear in the warrant, voters have the final say on all the articles.

For the first time, an electronic voting system using “clickers” was implemented, which tallied the votes at record speed without revealing the names of individual voters.

“This is how town meeting will vote going forward,” Moderator George Boylen said, noting that votes can be changed if voters so desire from green (yes) to red (no) within the allotted voting time, with the last color registering as their official vote.

At the beginning of the meeting, Boylen offered a prayer for “clarity of mind, compassion, diligence, a sense of humor, and an open heart,” followed by a Boy Scout color guard and the pledge of allegiance.

There was a moment of silence for past employees and town officials lost this year and recognition of 59 years of combined service to the town by school committee Chair Stephanie Peters (17 years), select board member Domenico Sestito (15 years), and former select board member John Reilly (27 years), followed by a standing ovation. Peters and Sestito are not seeking re-election.

Select board Chair Donna Pursel called town meeting “an opportunity to come together as a community to make decisions that will shape the future of our town and make a difference,” despite varying opinions and perspectives. “We all care about helping to make our town a better place.”

Pursel also expressed appreciation for the efforts of Town Manager Philip Lemnios, who is retiring in June, former select board Chair Jennifer Constable, and Sestito – who in turn read a proclamation in honor of Lemnios.

Sestito praised his dedicated service to the town over 26 years and his earlier involvement with the Peace Corps in the Congo, “which helped shape his dedication to good government.”

Lemnios was also acknowledged for advocating for grants and funding for street, seawall, and town building repairs and for school renovations.

“He has saved the town tens of millions of dollars, and his acumen has served our citizens well,” Sestito said. “The Town of Hull extends its best wishes in his future endeavors.”

There were about 380 voters present when the meeting convened at 7:17 p.m. after Boylen delayed the start to allow those lined up waiting to get into the Hull High auditorium extra time to be seated, and around 192 when the meeting adjourned at 10:50 p.m.

During the assistant town manager discussion, Boylen called for a brief recess after emotions ran high, after which the meeting proceeded in a more congenial fashion.

Voters also approved Community Preservation Act funding for the design and construction of a new Lt. Joseph D. McLaughlin Playground in the Hampton Circle neighborhood ($99,000), L Street playground and tennis courts design ($55,000), preservation and rehabilitation of the Village Fire Station ($500,000, plus $1 million to be bonded), design and construction of a shade structure at the fields at N Street and Nantasket Avenue ($30,000), hiring a consultant to study waterfront access points around town to establish a plan for prioritizing future projects ($28,000); and restoration of the Paragon Carousel’s windows ($70,000).

Voters also approved spending up to $986,802 from one-time American Rescue Plan Act funds for design and construction of improvements to the sewer treatment plant.

Also approved by voters was Article 16, which removes the room/bedroom maximum within residential units in mixed-use buildings in the business district, providing developers with the option to construct family-sized units if they wish to do so.

This article was passed despite the advisory board’s recommendation to first create a committee to review the town’s housing and housing policy to “jump-start better cooperation and coordination among the various board, committees, and employees.”

Do you have an opinion on this issue? Click here to write a Letter to the Editor.