Norton Select Board Approves Pride Month Signs on Town Common in 3-2 Vote

NORTON — June 4, 2026 — Norton Select Board voted 3-2 Thursday to allow up to four Pride Month signs on the town common through the end of June, a decision that prompted a heated floor protest from a resident who said the board had previously cited legal constraints to block similar requests. Select Board member Denise Luciano brought the motion herself under a government speech policy the board adopted in September 2025, which allows the board at its sole discretion to post signage reflecting official town positions. One member who voted against stated he supports Pride Month but opposes using the common for signs. A resident later in the meeting, Trevor Houston of 10 Sales Lane, raised legal questions about whether the Massachusetts Attorney General has limited government speech protections to town hall only and whether religious displays on the common implicate the First Amendment establishment clause. In other action, the board set the fall Town Meeting for October 19, 2026, with October 26 as a backup, and Town Manager Justin Tricker announced that Norton is contracted to host the LPGA tournament for at least two more years beyond this season's August 24-30 event.