West Stockbridge Planning Board breaks open meeting protocols

To the editor:
Congratulations to The Edge for its pursuit of emails that shed light on the non-meeting deliberations of the West Stockbridge Planning Board a special permit it recently decided to issue to the Foundry.
It is clear from these documents that the chairperson, Dana Bixby, is biased: She repeatedly speaks about the Foundry in favorable terms.
What’s more, the enforcement officer. Brian Duval, wrote to the Planning Board that exceeding sound limits for as much as a couple of minutes should be allowed.  (Imagine owning a nearby restaurant, as the Nguyen family does, where loud music suddenly reverberates for two minutes during dinner!)
So, my fellow West Stockbridgeans and others in our small-town and -city communities, please do not let the non-public deliberations of town officials carry the day. As a former newspaper reporter, I know that an occasional one-in-one discussion may be helpful to board members; but this board, and particularly it’s chair, are clearly breaking the rules about how the public business should be conducted.
Abby Pratt
West Stockbridge