Leaf-Blower Committee Recommends Bylaw Amendment for Special Town Meeting

The recommendation, which drastically lessens the restrictions on leaf blowers from the currently approved seasonal ban, will go before the Board of Selectmen again on Monday, March 18, before heading to Special Town Meeting, Wednesday, April 24.

The 2012 Special Town Meeting Leaf Blower Committee, which was tasked with crafting a leaf-blower compromise, unveiled its recommended bylaw amendment Monday to the Board of Selectmen. The recommendation, which was not put forward unanimously by the committee, will now be discussed and voted on by the board on Monday, March 18, before going on to the Special Town Meeting on Wednesday, April 24. Arlington’s seasonal leaf-blower ban, which prohibits the use of gas-powered leaf blowers on private property from May 15 to Oct. 15, was passed at Town Meeting last May in a 95-85 vote. It was then upheld at a Special Election in July, and a Special Town Meeting in October, when the current leaf-blower committee was formed.  The ban has not been in…

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Town Meeting Members' Individual Roll-Call Votes on the Seasonal Leaf-Blower Ban

Town Meeting members who voted "Yes" were voting for substituting the motion that would have put a repeal of the ban to a vote. Members who voted "No" were voting against substituting the motion and, therefore, were in favor of keeping the ban in place.

For more from Wednesday's Special Town Meeting, see "Town Meeting Upholds Seasonal Leaf-Blower Ban." The attached results were provided by Town Clerk Stephanie Lucarelli.

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Town Meeting Upholds Seasonal Leaf-Blower Ban

Members also agreed Wednesday to establish a leaf-blower committee, which will be tasked with crafting a compromise for Town Meeting next spring.

Town Meeting members kept the town’s seasonal leaf-blower ban in place Wednesday night. Members voted 110-95 against substituting a motion that would have put a repeal of the ban to a vote. Town Meeting Members' Individual Roll-Call Votes The substitute motion was proposed by Stephen Harrington, a Town Meeting member from Precinct 13 who forced the Board of Selectmen to call Wednesday’s Special Town Meeting by submitting a petition with more than 200 signatures to have the ban reconsidered this fall. Wednesday’s final tally was recorded by a roll-call vote – Town Moderator John Leone read members names one by one, and their individual voice votes were recorded. About 81 percent of members were present for the vote. The ban, which prohibits…

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Selectmen Favor Leaf-Blower Committee Over Fall Compromise

The Board of Selectmen unanimously agreed Monday that a proposed leaf-blower compromise wasn't ready for the Special Town Meeting on Oct. 10 and that a Town Meeting leaf-blower committee is the way to go.

After much deliberation Monday, the Board of Selectmen agreed to ask Town Meeting members to form a new leaf-blower committee at the Special Town Meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 10, instead of asking them to act on a new leaf-blower “compromise.” At Monday’s meeting, board chairman Kevin Greeley brought forth a proposed warrant article (below), which was crafted from input at the first leaf-blower subcommittee meeting last week and replaced the seasonal ban on gas-powered leaf blowers with seasonal restrictions. However, after a lengthy discussion, the board unanimously voted to go the committee route instead, as selectmen, namely Daniel Dunn, believed the article needed “too many refinements.” For one, Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine said the …

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Selectmen Reluctantly Schedule Special Town Meeting on Seasonal Leaf-Blower Ban

With 'hands tied,' selectmen called the meeting for Wednesday, Oct. 10.

The Board of Selectmen scheduled a Special Town Meeting Monday to address Arlington’s seasonal ban on gas-powered leaf blowers, but make no mistake, they didn’t want to. “If there was anyway I could vote against this, I certainly would,” Selectman Steven Byrne said before the vote, which set the meeting for Wednesday, Oct. 10. “I find this (Special Town Meeting) to be a waste of town resources.” Byrne’s sentiments were echoed by his colleagues. “I wish I could vote against it too,” the board’s chairman, Kevin Greeley, said, “but our hands our tied.” The board had to call the Special Town Meeting because of a citizen petition submitted by Stephen Harrington, a Town Meeting member from Precinct 13. ----- Do you agree with Selectman Steven …

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Petition Submitted for Special Town Meeting on Seasonal Leaf-Blower Ban

The day after the Board of Selectmen unanimously agreed to establish a committee to review the ban, a Town Meeting member took matters into his own hands.

A Town Meeting member submitted a petition to the town Tuesday to call a Special Town Meeting regarding Arlington’s seasonal ban on gas-powered leaf blowers. Stephen Harrington, of Precinct 13, who opposes the ban, said nearly 250 registered voters in Arlington signed his petition – only 200 signatures are needed to force a Special Town Meeting. ----- Do you support Harrington’s petition for a Special Town Meeting? Let us know by posting a comment below. ----- If Harrington’s petition is validated by the town, the Special Town Meeting would be the second attempt to repeal the ban, which was passed at Town Meeting in April. A group of landscapers collected more than 1,400 signatures in May to force a Special Election. At the Special …

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Precinct Results from Thursday's Special Election

A look at how Arlington's neighborhoods voted on the seasonal ban of gas-powered leaf blowers, which was upheld.

Seasonal Leaf-Blower Ban Upheld in Arlington 1

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Seasonal Leaf-Blower Ban Upheld in Arlington

Opponents of the ban fell 241 "No" votes shy of a repeal.

Despite taking Thursday’s vote by more than a 2-to-1 margin, opponents of Arlington’s seasonal ban on gas-powered leaf blowers, which was passed at Town Meeting in April, fell 241 “No” votes shy of repealing the ban. State law required opponents to get at least 5,780 “No” votes, which represents 20 percent of Arlington’s 28,898 registered voters, in order to overturn the action of Town Meeting. Instead, they got 5,539, or roughly 68 percent of the 8,158 votes cast. There were 2,619 “Yes” votes. Thursday’s Special Election had 28 percent voter turnout overall. By comparison, April’s Town Elections, which featured hotly contested races for both the Board of Selectmen and School Committee, as well as numerous Town Meeting member races due to …

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