The Zoning Board of Appeals had the chance to clear the air on Tuesday night, a week after a handful of residents and those in the development community went before the Board of Selectmen to lodge complaints against them.
Selectmen said they would consider making changes to the board’s membership in response to the criticism, but wanted first to give the ZBA an opportunity to respond.
Addressing the complaints issued against him and the board, Chairman Sam Stivers told selectmen “Important context elements were missing…The allegations are not supported by the facts.”
Stivers is up for reappointment to a 5-year term on the ZBA. If he is reappointed by the selectmen, he will continue to serve as chairman for only a few more months. Back in May the ZBA voted to make member Matt Hurley its next chairman effective September 1. Stivers nominated Hurley for the leadership position and said he had been trying to convince Hurley to run for chairman for a while now.
Board members Hurley, Regina McAuliffe, and Ed Estella spoke in support of Stivers, but the Metrowest Daily News reports member Leo Bartolini and alternate member Chris Robbins corroborated some of the complaints lodged against Stivers and the board last week.
Selectmen did not make any changes to the ZBA at their meeting this week. They’ve deferred any decisions until they interview four residents who have expressed an interest in joining the 5-member board. No word yet on when those interviews will be scheduled. Stiver’s term expires on June 30.
You can read more about the discussion on Tuesday in this article by the MWDN.
Correction 6:30 pm: I originally reported that ZBA member Matt Hurley was elected chair of the board effective Monday. He was elected chairman in a vote on Monday, but turns out his chairmanship does not start until September 1. I updated the post accordingly.
Correction 8:15 pm: Okay, I’m going to get it right this time. The vote to make Hurley the new chairman happened back on May 25, not this week as I originally reported. Post has been updated (hopefully for the last time).
