During the survey we conducted in November regarding the content on the Holliston Reporter, we received several comments regarding the Select Board meetings. Here are some of them:

I am an avid reader of the select bird meeting recap. I am very fortunate that the reporter covers these as there is no other avenue to get recaps. Unfortunately, I’ve had a hard time following the discussion because. The recaps seem rushed and reported in a ‘note-taking’ style. Please focus on quality over speed so that residents can have a good understanding of the context of events, not just the word for word from the meeting.

The select meeting report I miss the picture and reading more of what was said. I do not go to the recordings currently. And above in the survey Community is spelled wrong.”

Quality of reporting of SB meetings has declined since change of ownership. Now reads like a random set of notes without context.

Select Board is vital coverage.. will appreciate any coverage of other committees when there are pertinent issues

More reports on more town boards and committees. Select board reports that are clear, concise, and well-edited. These took a nosedive when leadership transitioned, though they are improving again. Dislike the practice of referring readers only to the recording; I’m reading this so I don’t have to slog through a recording. More on local and regional politics, which is where the Reporter can provide coverage no one else is doing. No need to do state and national politics; plenty of sources for that.

So we can see there are some people who are disappointed in the quality of the Select Board meetings. The fact is that the Select Board meetings are deliberately written in a manner that is free from opinion. The only time we refer people to the recording (and we include the time so you can forward to that specific section) is when one person seems to be making the same point repeatedly.

I do not attend these meetings in person, typically I try to attend them via Zoom. In some cases, I have conflicting meetings on the evening and in those cases, I use the recording the next morning (hence the change to Wednesday publishing). I’ll keep the photo in mind, but there’s not often a “Kodak” moment which is appropriate.

The recaps are not “random”, instead we follow the Select Board agenda and bring in the information based on what is said during each of the sections. The recap is organized in the same manner as the agenda is held at the meeting.

We really do appreciate the feedback and we are always looking for ways to improve our coverage. Please feel free to comment on any meeting recaps if you feel there is something lacking or you have a question regarding anything we publish.