By Beth David, Editor
The Fairhaven Select Board voted to reorganize at its meeting on 6/22/26, choosing a chairperson, vice chair, and clerk. Andrew Romano was voted in as chairperson unanimously.
Andrew Saunders nominated newcomer, Rick Trapilo, for vice chair, and Mr. Trapilo seconded the motion. Then Mr. Romano nominated Natalie Mello for Vice Chair, seconded by newcomer Pam Kuechler. The vote for Mr. Trapilo failed 3-2; Ms. Mello was voted in as VC 4-0, with Mr. Trapilo abstaining. Ms. Kuechler was voted in unanimously as clerk.
Mr. Romano opened the meeting saying he looked forward to thoughtful but passionate discussions. The board will have a lot of challenging decisions to make, he said, and the five of them have very diverse backgrounds.
There will be times when they disagree, but “we will do our best to lead by example,” he said and then move on to the parade and, shaking hands and being happy.
The board also voted on the Select Board protocols, with some discussion about whether or not to change how they handle public comments and comments from the public about listed agenda items.
The board discussed the pros and cons of limiting public input on items that are not public hearings.
In the end the board decided to leave the discretion up to the chair. The public comment period will remain the same.’
The board also discussed a proposal made by a citizen to fund the Tourism Department with donations to a gift account.
Fairhaven Cable TV employee, Todd Migliacci, would take on some of the responsibilities of the soon-to-be-defunct department, but some duties would not get done or would be spread out among departments.
The Tourism/Economic Development office, aka, Discover Fairhaven, is responsible for a variety of public events, and administering all town social media accounts. The department was eliminated in the FY27 budget due to cuts. The Proposition 2 1/2 override would have restored the department, but the measure failed at the ballow box.
Board members expressed skepticism about the wisdom and logistics of the idea.
Cathy Melanson, chair of the Economic Development Committee, spoke in favor of funding the department through donations with Mr. Migliacci as the staff person. Erin Carr also spoke in favor, saying many people who voted against the override would be happy to donate to keep the department open.
Both Ms. Melanson and Ms. Carr said they were confident the town could get corporate sponsors to pay for the department and events.
Mr. Romano said any nonprofit could step forward and sponsor the events that Discover Fairhaven was running.
In the end, the board took no vote. The department will be closed as of July 1.
In another matter, the board also held off on creating a budget working group, an idea Mr. Trapilo talked about on the campaign trail.
Mr. Trapilo, who has a corporate background and advocates for the town to be run like a business, said he was hoping to get a budget forecast and balance sheet for the next three to five years.
He said the budget group would look at ways for the town to save money and look for new revenue sources.
Mr. Trapilo reiterated his campaign message that the municipal financial model is broken.
Board members had a variety of concerns with the idea, not least of which was that the new working group would be stepping on the toes of the Finance Committee.
Town Administrator Keith Hickey, helped to articulate Mr. Trapilo’s vision, saying he was looking at macro solutions: large savings and large revenue sources.
Mr. Trapilo said he wanted a fresh look at things and thinking outside the box.
Resident Eleanor Chew voiced her concern that the board was talking about a 10-page document that members of the public had no access to, all while they were talking about transparency.
In the end, the board voted to table the matter until the next meeting so Mr. Trapilo can gather more information for the board, and the 10-page document can be added to the online packet available to the public for the next meeting.
During the public comment period, Ann Espindola told the board that the stench from the Wastewater Treatment Plant in the neighborhood was “absolutely horrendous” for more than 17 hours. She said she filed five separate complaints using the online form available through the Board of Health.
She said it had been the worst day in the 27 years they have lived there. Even her four-year-old grandson asked what smelled so disgusting.
Ms. Espindola acknowledged that the jurisdiction is mostly with the Board of Health, but asked if there was anything at all that the SB or Town Administrator could do to help.
In another matter, the board decided to hold off on board and committee appointments. After some discussion about whether or not people knew they could apply to be appointed to the various boards, the SB decided to hold off until September. Ms. Kuechler said she was not comfortable reappointing people blindly, without any information on their participation history or their background.
The board encourages all residents to look at the existing committees and boards on the town website and apply to be appointed even if their are no openings.
The board will discuss the new procedure at the next meeting on 7/13, with the goal of making the appointments at their first September meeting.
In other business, the board voted to issue a proclamation recognizing the 36th anniversary of the American with Disabilities Act, to “celebrate and recognize the progress that has been made by reaffirming the principles of equality and inclusion and recommitting our efforts to reach full ADA compliance.”
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