Rochester Select Board — October 5, 2026

The Rochester Select Board met on October 5, 2026, handling several administrative appointments, public business, and an extensive citizen discussion regarding automated license plate readers. The board first considered the appointment of Dr. Michael Amato to the Finance Committee. Because Dr. Amato was unable to attend the meeting in person, the appointing committee—consisting of the Select Board chair, the town moderator, and Finance Committee Vice Chair Rucco—voted to postpone the appointment to a future meeting so members and the public could question the candidate. The board then joined the Rochester Memorial School Committee as the appointing authority to consider Sharon Cruz's reappointment to the Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School District School Committee. Despite objections raised by Old Colony teacher Doug Sims and resident Don Sprullett regarding stalled teacher contract negotiations, both the School Committee (5-0) and the Select Board unanimously approved Cruz's reappointment.

The centerpiece of the meeting was an extensive public discussion regarding the town's six Flock Safety automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras. A group of residents, including Delima Tiffany, Patty Benner, and Genevieve Grignetti, presented detailed arguments citing Fourth Amendment civil liberties, lack of oversight, data aggregation and third-party monetization, and software security flaws. Police Chief Robert Assad defended the technology, stating the cameras operate under strict departmental policies, do not track law-abiding citizens, and have proven essential in solving crimes, recovering stolen vehicles, and locating an individual during a critical mental health emergency. Select Board member Adam Murphy and the board acknowledged residents' privacy concerns and voted to pause the town's use of the Flock cameras for 30 days while Town Council reviews the vendor contract and evaluates data safeguards.

In other business, the board accepted the resignation of Renee Duffy from the Events Committee, approved a request from the Lions Club to use the Town Hall parking lot on October 17th for an electronics recycling event, and voted to enter executive session regarding litigation strategy. Town Administrator Glenn Cannon delivered his monthly report, highlighting his achievement of MCPPO procurement certification, an actuarial report showing a $134,000 year-over-year increase in town pension obligations, updates on utility relations with Eversource, and ongoing efforts to secure grant funding to study town aquifer and water resources.

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