By VINAYA SAKSENA

CUMBERLAND — In contentious open session, the School Committee voted 5-1 Thursday night to reaffirm the extended contract and salary increase it had previously awarded to Schools Superintendent Donna Morelle.

The vote was taken in response to a determination from the office of Attorney General Patrick Lynch that the committee had violated the Open Meetings Act (OMA) when it voted on the contract in executive session in February.
Thursday’s lone dissenting vote was cast by Karen MacBeth, one of three residents who filed an OMA complaint with Lynch’s office regarding the initial Feb. 14 vote. Committee Vice Chairman Donald Costa was absent Thursday.
The vote to reaffirm the Morelle pact came in the middle of a meeting that lasted nearly four hours, a prolonged session marked by sharp tensions between committee and audience members.
Carol Vela, who also signed the OMA complaint, addressed the school board Thursday,
Vela bristled at the roughly $33,000 in attorney fees allegedly incurred by School Committee Chairman Frederic Crowley, insisting that the committee not make taxpayers cover legal costs for responding to the alleged OMA violations.
“You’ve been (functioning) in violation of the OMA law,” Vela told the committee. “And that is your problem, not ours.”
Earlier in the meeting, Joe Vela had demanded an explanation of the alleged violations. His comments triggered a heated exchange with committee members, in which Crowley repeatedly accused Vela of overstepping boundaries and warning him that he would be removed if he continued to do so.
“I’m afraid you’re making a personal attack,” Crowley told Vela at one point.
“I’m asking you questions,” Vela said. “I have a right as a taxpayer to ask questions.” The exchange came to a head when Crowley asked the police officer on duty, Sgt. William Wilkie, to remove Vela. After further discussion, Vela was allowed to stay.
As the meeting wound down, committee member Lisa Beaulieu suggested committee members familiarize themselves with the open meetings law to avoid future violations.
Fellow member David Wagner reluctantly accepted the decision made by Special Assistant Attorney General Michael Field while maintaining the board’s collective innocence.
“I for one do not feel that we were doing anything wrong,” Wagner said. “Apparently the AG’s office feels that we did. Therefore, we did. If you ask me to take another executive session vote on a personnel matter, I’ll walk out of the room.”
“This isn’t something we learn in law school,” said Crowley, an attorney himself. “(But) we do know now that from 1999 on we have been in violation of OML.”
For her part, Morelle thanked the committee for reaffirming the vote on her contract. It was, she said, “a sign of your confidence in my abilities. I appreciate that.”