LITTLE COMPTON — A parliamentary impasse — the disappearance of a quorum — brought an abrupt halt to the meeting Tuesday, Nov. 15, of the Little Compton Agricultural Conservancy Trust (Ag Trust). 

The trustees had five members present at first, but that was before trustee Mike Steers recused from any discussion or vote regarding Carolyn’s Sakonnet Vineyard.  That left four trustees present.

Bill Richmond, Ag Trust chairman, had announced beforehand that he intended to propose that the Trust approve only 14 entertainment-type events for the vineyard, “at a maximum frequency of one per week between the dates of June 1 and September 3." 

Mr. Steers has no financial interest in the matter, but his recusal was to avoid any appearance of  conflict of interest, said Anthony deSisto, attorney for the Ag Trust.

What had Mr. Steers done to evoke such concern? 

He had contributed $100 to a crowd-funding website created to raise funds to pay for lawyers to contest, on behalf of the neighbors and other residents, the vineyard's plans to conduct weddings, concerts and other entertainment at the vineyard. 

Trustee David Wechsler said Mr. Steers was recusing "at the behest of Nicole Benjamin," the attorney for the vineyard. 

"They (vineyard lawyers) knocked out a key guy on this committee," said Mr. Wechsler. "They plot behind closed doors. They made a huge mistake by trying to knock him off."

Mr. Wechsler said he would leave the meeting if Mr. Steers recused. "Then there'd be no quorum," he said. "Morally and ethically I oppose his recusal … I recognize that legally I may be incorrect."

Mr. deSisto said the matter would likely go to court if Mr. Wechsler walked out. 

"I'm willing to risk it," Mr. Wechsler said.

An hour after the meeting began, the time came to vote on Mr. Richmond’s proposal.

"I'll repeat what I said at the beginning of the meeting, " Mr. Wechsler said. "I'm willing to vote if my colleague has the full right to speak and vote, and if the lawyers for the owner of the property take their gag off him. And if they don't, I'm leaving before the vote, so there’ll be no quorum."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I wish you wouldn't do that," said Mr. Richmond. "So this would be the time for a vote, David."

"I'm going to put the onus back on the counsel for the Vineyard," said Mr. Wechsler. "They should restore Mike Steers to this committee to be able to speak, because he's a valued member of the committee. I'm not going to stand by morally or ethically and let them knock out a serious member of this group. Legally I respect the counsel, but morally and ethically I'm taking a stand."

"What I would recommend," he said, " is we adjourn the meeting and either they remove the gag, or you bring in more members of the committee." 

To which vineyard lawyer Nicole Benjamin, "Mr. Steers did contribute to a fund that paid for the legal representation and opposition to this matter. We are not willing to waive our request that Mr. Steers recuse."

Whereupon, the Ag Trust meeting immediately adjourned (on the issue of the vineyard's compliance with the conservation easement), without taking a vote on a proposal put forth by Mr. Richmond regarding activities at the Vineyard.

The Ag Trust, accordingly, did not forward a recommendation to the Town Council to consider when it reviewed the Vineyard's application for an entertainment license.

The proposal Mr. Richmond put forth on behalf of the Ag Trust would have been in sharp contrast to what the Vineyard was proposing. Both proposals were cast against the backdrop of the conservation easement governing the use of the land.

The Ag Trust is charged under a conservation easement that governs the use of land at Carolyn 's Sakonnet Vineyard (CSV) with ensuring that entertainment activities at the Vineyard do not defeat or derogate from the conservation and agricultural values at the Vineyard. 

The Vineyard had applied to the Little Compton Town Council for an entertainment license to allow it next summer to conduct 12-14 weddings/events at the Vineyard any day of the week, 14 concerts on Thursday nights, another 14 concerts on Sundays, and four additional concerts on Saturdays (a possible 46 events, all of which could involve music).

Bill Richmond, Chairman of the Ag Trust, on the other hand, had announced before the Ag Trust meeting on Nov. 15 that he intended to propose that the Trust approve only 14 events total, that the events "be identified and scheduled in their license application and that they occur at a maximum frequency of one per week between the dates of June 1 and September 3." 

The Little Compton Town Council was to consider two days hence (Nov. 17) the Vineyard's application for an entertainment license, and was awaiting input from the Ag Trust about whetter the Vineyard's proposed 48 activities were consistent and compliant with the conservation easement whose values the Ag Trust was supposed to protect.