LONGMEADOW — Several residents came to the defense of Peter Benton, a resident who said his “character came into question” at the Aug. 12 Select Board meeting, during which he was under consideration as a candidate for the Board of Registrars. At the meeting Select Board member Dan Zwirko read statements that Benton had made on Facebook that Zwirko took exception to, and the board decided to seek another candidate from the Republican Town Committee.
During the public comment period, Benton said he was angry and “very disappointed” about the discussion and said he was not contacted or questioned personally. He went on to talk about his time in Longmeadow and his good deeds. After exceeding the allotted time, Select Board Chair Vineeth Hemavathi told him that he could have reached out to be added to the agenda for a longer discussion and that public comment was not the right vehicle for the discussion.
Dean Rogeness spoke next. He said the comments made in open session “branded [Benton] as a racist and homophobe.” He added that Facebook posts had been “cherry picked” and said Zwirko’s comments were a “character attack.” He questioned whether people would volunteer for positions in the future.
Robert Humberston read a list of Benton’s community activity and charitable works, while Larry Starr said the topic was “inappropriate” for open session and suggested it should have been handled in executive session. Former Select Board member Richard Foster filed an Open Meeting Law complaint with similar concerns.
However, Hemavathi said the matter was addressed by town counsel, who rendered an opinion that there had been no violation. In the opinion, he cited case law that stated consideration of candidates for appointment should be done in open session.
Further, Hemavathi said the statements had been made on a Facebook page that was open to the public. “Anyone with a Facebook account or Google could have read them. He said they were “standalone” comments, and not read “out-of-context.” Rather than being partisan and choosing the Democratic Town Committee’s candidate, Hemavathi said the Select Board voted to ask the Republican Town Committee for a new candidate.
Hemavathi said the matter is “an example of the hyper-partisanship infecting our country, where people the need to defend and excuse abhorrent statements just because somebody of the same political affiliation made those statements.”
Select Board member Andrew Lam agreed that there had not been a violation and rejected the statements from Benton, but said he was “saddened by the public disparagement of a fellow citizen.” Hemavathi countered that he did not see Zwirko’s comments as “disparagement,” but acknowledged the impact it had had on Benton.
Zwirko said that appointing people to boards and committees is “one of the most important decisions we make on a regular basis. “I take that very seriously,” especially the Board of Registrars, which oversees “free and fair elections,” he said. He said he was “simply doing my homework” on candidates and thanked member Joshua Levine, Hemavathi and the community for supporting him in the wake of “attacks” from people supporting Benton.
The Select Board will send a response to the state regarding the question of an Open Meeting Law violation.
