Today, HopNews learned that Town Clerk Connor Degan will moderate the Special Town Meeting on Monday, November 13. The Elected Moderator, Ellen Rutter, recently returned from traveling and has fallen ill.

Degan was appointed Deputy Moderator for the Annual Town Meeting last May, and conducted part of the meeting while Rutter was on break. Although Degan’s term expired at the conclusion of the meeting, no Deputy Moderator was chosen to replace him, and Hopkinton’s town charter states that the Town Clerk is third in line. 

Generally speaking, the moderator’s role is to preside over the meeting, maintain order, and ensure that the meeting follows the agenda set by the Select Board. Most importantly for attendees at Town Meeting, the moderator has a duty to enforce time constraints on presenters and those who are recognized to speak, with the goal of moving through the agenda efficiently.