Select Board gets budget update, honors football team & coach

By Beth David, Editor

The Fairhaven Select Board held a lengthy meeting on Monday, 2/2/26, covering a range of items, including an update on the budget; a discussion of changing the scope of the Timothy-Hiller subdivision investigation; and honoring the Fairhaven High School football team, which won the state championship in Division VI play at Gillette Stadium.

Several members of the football team and Coach Derek Almeida attended to receive a proclamation for the team, proclamation for Mr. Almeida for receiving New England Patriots Coach of the Year, and a proclamation for Zach Moura, who received the Otto Graham award.

In the proclamation to the team, the board said the “players, coaching staff, faculty, student body and supporters have shown exceptional teamwork and spirit, reflecting values that strengthen both our school and community.”

They wrote, “This championship repre­sents not only athletic achieve­ment but also the determination, character, and unity that define the Fairhaven community.”

Mr. Almeida told the board he was proud to grow up in Fairhaven, play sports at FHS, and then “have the opportunity to lead this group.”

“This was a true team,” said Mr. Almeida, adding that they really committed to each other, and care about each other. 

“I’m just extremely proud of them and really thankful for all the recognition that we’ve gotten as a team and individually,” he said, adding the group was a “really good representation of the town of Fair­haven….how they were brought up and the work the put in.”

In another matter, the board had two items relating to the Timothy-Hiller 16 home subdivision debacle. The project had been rejected by the Plan­ning Board, then was resub­mitted under a different company name. It got the green light because it did not go before the Planning Board for a public hearing; and after 153 days received a “Constructive Approval.” Abutters did not know the project had been approved until site work had begun.

The town has hired a law firm to conduct an investigation to deter­mine why the matter did not get on a Planning Board agenda during the required time period.

At Monday’s meeting the board heard from two groups of residents. A group of abutters, led by Bob Espindola asked that investigators expand their list of people to interview. The group included 15 names in their request. 

Mr. Espindola told the board he understood only four people were being interviewed and that was “far too narrow.”

Town Administrator, Keith Hickey, said he did not want to impact the investigation, so he has not shared the list of people being interviewed with anyone. He said, however, that the list has definitely grown larger. 

The second item was a petition by 45 residents asking that the period of time for the investigation be ex­panded to include the time up to the resignation of Planning Board chair­person, Dianne Tomassetti. 

Ms. Tomassetti’s name was not on the petition.

In the letter requesting the agenda item, Paul Gallant wrote: “We’re specifically concerned about the events that occurred at the September 23, 2025 Planning Board Meeting, the October 14, 2025 Planning Board meeting, the related social media activity by elected officials, and the unsub­stantiated accusations that circulated through­out the local newspaper and on social media throughout this timeline. These false accusations targeted the Chairperson which resulted in her resignation.”

Jennifer Cardoza spoke to the board, reiterating much of what was in the petition. It states that Ms. Tomassetti was subjected to harassment by other town officials, resulting in her resignation.

Town Administrator, Keith Hickey, said he did not believe that the SB had any authority to remove elected official. 

SB member Andrew Romano not that Ms. Tomassetti’s name was not on the petition. 

Mr. Romano also said that the accusations in the petition are all based on publicly available informa­tion, such as social media posts,  newspaper articles, and televised meetings. The investigation, he said, is supposed to uncover information that is not public. 

“We are talking about two different things,” he said. 

Erin Carr told the board that they spent the money for the investigation because 28 people signed a petition, and they already knew that staff was responsible for the problem with the subdivision. This new petition, she said, had more than 40 signatures. 

SB member Andrew Saunders said if they have a specific case they should take it to the SB. If it is an appointed position, they can remove the person. If it is elected, they can still find that the person violated the social media policy and the voters can take that into consideration at the next election.

Patrick Carr, a current Planning Board member who was chairperson when the subdivision application was filed, and who is also a Zoning Board of Appeals member, said the Tomassetti case is not just about somebody’s feelings getting hurt.

He said that he and Ruy DaSilva and Diane Tomassetti have businesses. They have all seen effects from the coverage in the Neighb News, said Mr. Carr.

“Putting these lists of things in there week after week after week. People read these things. People read this paper because it’s a town news­paper. and they take what Beth puts in there as gold which it wasn’t. It was false accusations,” said Mr. Carr. “And that’ll come out with the investigation.”

He said he wanted to know what recourse the board had to go after elected officials. He said he wanted to see what law stopped them from removing an elected official from office. If they cannot, and the only answer is recall elections, he said he will be going with some recalls.

“Because my reputation has been tarnished all along,” said Mr. Carr. “There are volunteers in town that have been dragged through the mud.”

He also suggested that Mr. Espindola be added to the list of  people investigated to “find out what wrongdoing he did.”

The board did not hold a vote.

The board also heard from Mr. Hickey with a grim look at the budget. He presented two budgets, one funds services at current levels and requires a 4.43% increase in spending.

It will also require a Proposition 2 1/2 override of about $1.5 million. The impact to residents would be about $189 per year in increased property tax for the average homeowner.

The second budget, which does not need an override reduces staffing, overtime costs for emergency services, maintenance to roads, sidewalks and trees along with $380,802 in reductions to the School Department. It would also eliminate Household Hazardous Waste Day and curbside leaf collection.

Mr. Hickey said there are several things that could change on the revenue side and the expense side that might make the deficit a little smaller, but there is no way it will make up for $1.5 million.

One other large question is whether or not Acushnet will con­tinue to use Fairhaven High School. The possible loss of that revenue was not included for this year’s budget.

The budget presentation is available on the town’s website: at https://fairhaven-ma.gov/fiscal-year-26-27-budget-information/

The SB also met jointly with the Planning Board in executive session to review minutes from eight PB meet­ings dating back to 2022 for possible release. The board did not make an announcement about releasing the minutes. 

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