AG’s office finds minor Open Meeting Law violation

The state Attorney General’s office determined Weston’s Select Board committed a minor Open Meeting Law violation in a decision released last month.

The violation, described by Assistant Attorney General Kerry Anne Kilcoyne as “de minimis,” (defined as something is of “little importance” according to Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute) occurred at a remote executive session the Board held last year on July 8. During the meeting, Board members did not state that they were alone while participating remotely.

According to the decision of the Attorney General’s Office(which erroneously described the Board as a five-member body at a time when there were only three members), the Board conceded that members did not state that they were alone before or during the executive session on July 8, 2025.

David Calhoun filed a complaint on Aug. 19 that year, which alleged that the Board violated Open Meeting Law in three ways. The Attorney General’s office dismissed the allegation that the Board permitted town employees to take part in an executive session on June 24 and the allegation that then-Chair Lise Revers failed to recuse herself from a conversation that involved a conflict of interest on June 24 and July 8, 2025.

The Board invited Town Manager Leon Gaumond and Assistant Town Manager Lisa Yanakakis to participate in the executive session on June 24. Gaumond usually participates in executive sessions. Kilcoyne stated that the Board is allowed to invite individuals to attend such meetings when doing so would help the Board do its work.

Calhoun alleged that Revers had a conflict of interest in discussions about City of Cambridge vs. The Housing Appeals Committee, a case involving the proposed housing project at 104 Boston Post Road. According to Kilcoyne, conflicts of interest are not addressed in the Open Meeting law and the issue was referred to the State Ethics Commission.

When asked for comment, Don Siriani, the Ethics Commissions’ Public Education and Communications Division chief, said the Commission does not comment on complaints or referrals.