Controversy Surrounds Cable Board Election

Seekonk Cable Access Inc., which oversees TV9, held their annual Board of Directors election in December, but controversy remains.

Deborah Hoch, Michael Dressler, and David Saad were all re-elected to their positions on the board. Mitchell Vieira is the President. Russell Hart is the Vice-President. Hoch is Secretary and Dressler serves as Treasurer. The other members are Beverly Hart and Denise Poliquin.

Peter Hoogerzeil, a former member, had criticized the board at the December 4 selectmen meeting.  “The election format unfortunately was not changed,” Hoogerzeil said recently. “It is now up to the Board of Selectmen to decide if they want our Cable Access Board of Directors to continue electing themselves and disenfranchising the thousands of Seekonk Cable subscribers who once had the right to vote for members in the annual election.”

Saad defended the organization’s closed election process at the December 18 Seekonk selectmen meeting. TV9 used to allow Comcast subscribers to attend the board’s elections and cast votes for the board, according to Saad. “The process was stacked for individuals to get onto the board,” said Saad, noting members who had worked to increase viewership were removed from the board as a result.

Hoogerzeil alleged there was nothing on the TV9 website about nominations for the board.

In a December 16 e-mail to selectmen, the board of directors said notifications of the election had been running on TV9 since November 13.

Selectman Justin Sullivan warned Saad that the way TV9 elects its board members would be problematic. “To keep (the process the same), I think there’s going to be transparency issues,” Sullivan said.

Town Administrator Shawn Cadime said the cable board acts as the governing body for their organization. “If there are five Comcast subscribers who are not happy with the way things are operating at TV9, there is no accountability. They have no say or right to voice their concern and make a change with the board because they have no control,” Cadime said.

“I don’t believe the citizens of Seekonk want a board that collects over $300,000 a year from a mandatory subscriber fee to elect themselves,” Hoogerzeil added. “I hope democracy prevails in the end.”