The Massachusetts Open Meeting Law, found in G.L. c. 30A, was created to ensure the disclosure of public information to keep citizens informed on government action. The main theme behind the open meeting law is “TRANSPARENCY” of the government to allow for the natural checks and balance of the people. The law creates basic requirements upon which the government must provide: (1) notice of meetings which reasonably inform the public of the matters to be discussed and (2) access to the meetings by the public. All meetings must be open to the public unless the discussion falls within a statutorily defined exception which allows for executive or closed session. The most important and highly contentious area of the Open Meeting Law regards executive session. The two requirements for executive session are (1) a proper purpose and (2) a proper initiation.

Despite the nominal fee of a parking ticket which is often cheaper than most parking garages it is still frustrating to walk back to your vehicle to see the glaring orange ticket stuck on your windshield. Wouldn’t it be great if you could somehow get out of the parking ticket? There may be hope, continue reading. Even some of the members of the Massachusetts legislature have been the victim of a pesky parking ticket at least once in their lives. On June 14, 1949, legislature was prompted to amend G.L. c. 90, § 20A, pertaining to non-criminal dispositions of parking violations, to include a provision whereby the parking clerk shall dismiss the charge without payment of any fine if it is the first violation committed by the person in a particular city or town in the calendar year. Therefore, if it is your first parking ticket for the year in any given municipality you may be better off disputing the violation. Bring a copy of the following statute with you and point to the second sentence in the fifth paragraph: https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXIV/Chapter90/Section20a The statute reads “If it is the first violation subject to this section committed by such a person in a particular city of town in the calendar year, the parking clerk shall dismiss the charge without the payment of any fine;” Unfortunately, the next sentence goes on to say that if the City or Town has adopted a schedule of fines by municipal rule then this provision will not apply. Best of luck to you.