LONGMEADOW — In the wake of Planning Board member Walter Gunn’s resignation, the Longmeadow Select Board voted on June 27 to rescind the Town Meeting that was set for July 15.
The purpose of the meeting was to see if voters would change the Planning Board from an elected body to an appointed one and, in doing so, facilitate Gunn’s removal.
The Town Meeting was set by the Select Board on June 11, after three months of internal investigation by the town and a May 9 meeting of the Planning Board in which it became known that Gunn had trespassed on resident Fabricio Ochoa’s property and made comments that have been widely condemned as racist. Gunn initially refused to resign and, as the town has no recall provision, the Select Board set the Town Meeting to remove him.
Amid growing pressure from residents, community organizations and the Planning and Select boards, Gunn resigned on June 17. Three days later, Ochoa told Reminder Publishing that by resigning, “[Gunn] did the right thing for the residents of Longmeadow.” He said the resignation was the result of public pressure and an example of what can happen when people stand up for their values and community. “It was amazing to see the residents rally and come together,” Ochoa said. Ochoa, who moved to Massachusetts from Columbia as a teenager, expressed love for his adopted country and for the town.
The idea of making the Planning Board appointed had been discussed by Select Board members and Town Manager Lyn Simmons before the incident with Gunn became known. On June 11, then-Select Board Chair Vineeth Hemavathi said there has been difficulty in attracting Planning Board candidates in recent years and qualified individuals may not want to campaign for office.
The Select Board had also considered bringing a charter change adopting a recall provision to the voters at Town Meeting. If passed, the state Legislature would need to approve a special act. While the Select Board decided against pursuing a recall provision, it sparked discussion at the June 11 meeting of what to do if a Select Board member “goes rogue” as Select Board member Josh Levine described it.
Simmons explained that changes to the Select Board, such as the implementation of a recall provision, cannot be undertaken without a charter review commission. Massachusetts law reads, “Only a charter commission elected under [state law] may propose any change to the composition, mode of election or appointment, or terms of office of the legislative body, the mayor or city manager, or the board of selectmen or town manager.” Simmons later explained that 15% of the town’s registered voters — 1,948 people — would need to sign a petition to begin the process.
Establishing a charter review commission may be pursued at a future Town Meeting, Simmons said. The last one was conducted in 2017.
