The city counselors seemed very nervous before the meeting particularly with an overflow crowd that reached down the entire hallway, but nobody seemed more nervous than the counselors who had supported the initial petition. That was a bad sign.
Once things were gaveled open the first speaker was the City Solicitor, Michael Ciota. A legal opinion on the various resolutions had been asked of him. He maintained that any resolution disapproving planned parenthood or any attempt to zone them out of main street was unconstitutional. When he spoke it became very clear that not only was the fix in, but that he had talked to the counselors before the meeting and put the fear of God litigation into them.
With the exception of Rosemary Reynolds nobody challenged said opinion, in fact as she pressed him on his basis counsel president Hay restrained the questions. Planned Parenthood with the wind now behind them was invited to make their presentation:
Ms Dianne Luby (right) made her case, detailing the government grant that they obtained and why Planned Parenthood demographic studies suggested that their services would be useful for Fitchburg. There is no question that this woman was well practiced for such an event and was ready for whatever the counsel was prepared to ask.
After her presentation the questions began with Ward 4 Counselor Kevin Starr
Starr’s questions were primarily concerning the location. Specifically why not use the open space at the Burbank Campus (formally Burbank Hospital) rather than downtown Fitchburg? The question was asked by several counselors and was ducked effectively with “That is not our Model”. (nobody asked about the Model or why “their model” should be the city’s model.
When asked why Fitchburg, a city that had notable success in dropping it’s teen pregnancy rate with a high school using an abstinence model. they continued to stressed demographics and a desire to be “part of the solution”
Counselor Tran stressed the proximity of Worcester in his argument against PP but underestimated the driving time to the (accurate) hoots of local PP supporters. The most amazing statement came from Counselor Kaddy suggesting that PP would attract “Bad” people to main street. PP suggested that their customers were the families of the people in the room and that PP would attract foot traffic to Main Street. When Counselor Joseph challenged it saying that a Methadone clinic would also attract foot traffic she parried it effortlessly and without challenge.
The majority of the arguments made was “Why Fitchburg” and “Why main Street” but Rosemary Reynolds pressed them concerning what would take place on main street. Luby stressed that no surgical abortions would take place and the federal grant prevented them from doing them. Reynolds pressed her about the length of the grant and what happens then, Luby answered that they would re-apply for the grant. Reynolds then asked about chemical abortions but could not remember the name of the abortion pill. (Ru486)
Luby incredibly maintained she had no idea what Reynolds was talking about. (perhaps the president and CEO of the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts should consult PP’s own web site.) When Ms. Reynolds asked permission to consult Dr. Mark Rollo (sitting behind her) for the exact name, Mr. Hay disallowed it and the question concerning chemical abortions remained unanswered.
Much to the surprise of the assembled audience no other people were allowed to speak. (They were unaware that the counsel was meeting as a “committee of the whole”) and when the vote to table the resolution disapproving planned parenthood the vote was 8-1 with only Counselor Reynolds voting against, counselors Tran and Conry abstaining.
At this point the bulk of the Planned Parenthood supporters their victory supposedly won, and a large amount of the people waiting outside who opposed them began to leave not realizing that there was a lot more to come.
(Part 3 later today)
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