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Beth Treffeisen|Cape Cod Times

SANDWICH In the early afternoon, before Sandwich Special Town meeting was set to begin at the high school, members of the environmental group Sustainable Practices were asked by a police officer to move their signs and displays so they were 150 feet from the school entrance.

The request to movewas made by Selectman Robert George, becausehe thought it was the law.

However, the 150-foot law only applies to polling places, not town meetings, according to the Secretary of State's website and the Sandwich TownClerk.

After learning that members of Sustainable Practices were wrongly moved before last month's meeting, members Mary Cote and Jacob Swenson demandedGeorgeapologize for his action, saying his failure to abideby the law isgroundsforhim to resign or be removed from his elected position.

What he did to me was a blatant abuse of power, Mary Cote wrote in a letter to the Selectmen. He took away my right.

Cote and other members of the group filed a complaint about the incident with the Attorney Generals office.

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Town Clerk Taylor White was made aware of the situation after the special town meeting ended.He said he thinks Georgemisunderstood the law.

Typically before a town meeting, there is a gauntlet of people made up of political candidates and groups vying for the voters' attention standing near the entrance of the meeting venue.

In this case, about150 people attended the Nov. 14 special town meeting and members from the Sustainable Practices were the only group outside, other than a bake sale that was going on, Taylor said.

There is a gentlemens agreementunder whichpeople have been asked to make enough space for people to enter the meeting without being delayed, White said.

At the Board of Selectmen meeting Thursday, George saidhe might have had the wrong information and will check on the law.

You see it time and time again that people just jam the front of the school at town meeting, George said during the meeting. I will find out if I was misled and if I was I will publicly apologize to them.

As of Friday, Cote still had not received an apology from George.

Board of Selectmen members said they will ask town counsel for further clarification.

Selectmen David Sampson said he didnt think the folks who stand outside town meeting are changing the minds of the voters.

I think they are taking the opportunity to get their message out, Sampson said.Ive never seen anyone outside obstructing the access, which is really the most important thing.

Voters at the special town meeting indefinitely postponed the petition article put forth by Sustainable Practices to ban commercial plastic water bottles. The group plans to bring the petition back for a vote at the spring town meeting. Similar articles have passed in eight other Cape towns.

The fact that it was deferred and not voted down, shows that people know it is the right thing to do but for whatever reason they were not ready yet, Cote said Friday.

A seasoned environmental activist, Cote said she was unsure if the pressure to move her group's display further from the entrance prevented them from getting their message across to voters.

Moving the group may have delegitimized Sustainable Practices cause and made it more difficult for them to talk to voters, Swenson wrote in an email to the Select Board.

Bobby George was wrong to all of this, Swenson wrote. He violated the first amendment rights of these citizens and blatantly abused his power.

Contact Beth Treffeisen at btreffeisen@capecodonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @BTreffeisenCCT

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Environmental group wrongly asked to move 150 feet away from town meeting entrance - Cape Cod Times