The Parks & Recreation Commission on Thursday directed the Hopkinton Republican Town Committee to seek approval for this year’s July 4 Horribles Parade from the Select Board before Parks & Rec would consider sponsoring the event.

“If the Select Board … think that it’s cool, then I know I can get behind it, too,” said commission chair Dan Terry.

Members of the HRTC appeared before the Parks & Rec Commission as part of the process for setting up the parade. The event must be sponsored by a town department in order to comply with the town’s insurance laws.

“If you don’t have a town sponsor, you have to post a million-dollar insurance bond,” explained HRTC member Ken Weismantel.

The commission’s decision to delay sponsorship approval until a review by the Select Board followed a discussion over the nature of the annual parade and its incorporation of floats that lampoon both national and local politics. 

Proponents of the parade describe it as a family-friendly event meant as a vehicle for First Amendment expression. Opponents characterized last year’s parade as a “partisan” event that would inflame divisions in town.

Commission member Laura Hanson spoke to those concerns directly. “I got a lot of comments from people in town who were very upset about the tenor of some of the floats last year and the political divisiveness that was on display,” said Hanson, adding that she “got a lot of grief” from Democratic acquaintances.

HRTC chair Jim Mirabile offered apologies to Hanson for the feedback she received, but maintained all the feedback he received had been positive. He also stated that “there was no limitation at all on anybody who wanted to put a float in,” and the Select Board had expressed hesitancy on limiting the content of last year’s parade.

Other HRTC members spoke to the parade’s history and its fixture as a tradition in town. “It has run the 38 years I’ve been here except the COVID [pandemic],” said Eric Sonnett.

“Just because we did something 30 years ago doesn’t mean it’s OK to do now,” responded Terry.

Parks & Rec vice chair Amy O’Donnell concurred. “The town has changed a lot since the origin of the Horribles Parade,” she said.

O’Donnell also expressed worry that any perceived divisiveness would reflect poorly on the department and commission.

“If groups go out there and intend to tease or make fun of other groups or people … I would be really upset that that was allowed to happen under Parks & Rec,” O’Donnell said.

Both Terry and Parks & Rec Director Jon Lewitus raised concerns about the fact that the department would be putting its name on an event that could be perceived as partisan and “mean-spirited.”

Mirabile noted that the Hopkinton Democratic Town Committee did not approach his committee about running the event last year, but he hadn’t reached out either. Weismantel said the HRTC would be open to bringing its Democratic counterparts onto the parade committee if they funded half of the $1,000 budget.

The HRTC took over the Horribles Parade following the COVID-19 pandemic, after the McIntyre family decided to stop running it. Parks & Rec Commission members had suggested the co-sponsorship with the HDTC when it approved the 2024 parade.

In discussing how to proceed with the commission’s concerns in mind, Terry said he preferred to kick the issue over to the Select Board and have the HRTC come back for Parks & Rec sponsorship after the fact.

“The Select Board has an audience — it’s going to be publicized,” he explained. He argued that a meeting with the board would allow residents a better opportunity to voice any criticisms. The Select Board’s approval also would make him more comfortable with moving forward with a sponsorship.

“If the Select Board said yes before we did, I’d just feel differently,” said Terry.

“The minute things become controversial in town … I do think the Select Board needs to decide,” added O’Donnell.