From left: Southwick Planning Board members David Sutton and Michael Doherty announced their resignations during the board’s meeting Tuesday.
Reminder Publishing screen capture by Cliff Clark
SOUTHWICK — As the Planning Board wrapped up its over two-hour meeting on Jan. 7, Chair Michael Doherty and board member David Sutton announced they were resigning.
“After tonight’s meeting I’m planning on resigning,” Doherty announced to his fellow board members.
“It’s a nice breaking point… and I wasn’t planning on running for reelection,” Doherty said, who would have been ending his second consecutive five-year term in May.
Sutton then chimed in.
“You just beat me to the punchline. I was just wrapping up these last few [meetings]. I’m resigning also,” Sutton said, who was reelected last May to a new five-year term.
“It’s been a lot of years. Mike you’ve done a fantastic job. Being under your leadership has just been great. I’ve got no qualms about resigning at this point. I’ve been through a lot this year, and this just brings it to a head,” Sutton said.
“We got done a lot of things,” Doherty said about working with Sutton for nearly a decade.
Doherty said leaving the board at this time was good because of “what’s coming up and what’s being finished.”
He also urged the Select Board, who will name an interim board member, to promote the board’s associate member Diane Juzba.
“I hope the Select Board will elevate her as a full-time member,” Doherty said.
The “what’s coming up” Doherty was referring to was a revision of the Business Restricted zoning bylaw and special permit criteria.
After the board denied a special permit to a commercial developer to build a Dollar General on College Highway last year, the developer filed two lawsuits against the board in Land Court.
One of the suits questioned the validity of the bylaws’ language.
In November, Doherty announced that he wanted to revise the bylaw in light of the lawsuit — both were dismissed after a mediation between the town and the development.
“It needs to be done sooner rather than later,” Doherty said at that November meeting.
As to what’s been finished by the board, at the meeting it closed a public hearing and granted a special permit for a residential development on South Loomis Road.
The only open public hearing is a request for a special permit to build a self-storage facility on College Highway, and Town Planner Jon Goddard said during the meeting that the developers have proposed changing the use, which would mean they need to reapply for a new special permit.
And during the meeting, it hosted its first public hearing on a request for a special permit for a recreational marijuana retail store on College Highway.
After Tuesday’s double resignations, Select Board member Diane Gale, who was at the meeting, was asked for her reaction.
She said the announcements were “unexpected” and had “no bearing on any situations.”
Gale liked that the current Planning Board had “different opinions,” and the members complemented each other while “working together for the right answers,” she said.
Select Board member Doug Moglin said he learned of the resignations on Wednesday morning.
“I have tremendous respect for Mr. Doherty and Mr. Sutton for their longstanding commitment to the town and all of the time and effort that they have put forth,” Moglin said in a statement. “These are key roles that will be difficult to fill.”
Right now, there are three members and one associate on the Planning Board.
Gale said the Select Board will appoint someone to fill the vacancy for Sutton’s seat. Whoever is appointed will have to run for the seat during municipal elections in May.\
Once the Select Board fills the vacancy there will be four members, which allows it to continue working.
Gale told Juzba to let her know if she was interested in the appointment.
