What’s an open public meeting, and why should you care?

The town of Warner made headlines this summer that no town wants. The town administrator sought a restraining order against a selectman for alleged assault. Shortly afterward, the assault charges were dropped and she was put on leave. A firm hired to audit the town’s finances abruptly quit, citing concerns about the reliability of the town’s records, among other things.

All of it — and more — played out in public during selectboard meetings, where residents were allowed to ask questions and raise concerns. If not for the state’s right-to-know law, it could have played out behind closed doors instead and not led to public scrutiny of the town’s financial practices or conversations about adding cameras to town hall to address safety concerns.

Elsewhere, input from the public has led school