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Date: 7/27/2021
HADLEY – The Hadley Select Board conducted its first meeting since its controversial decision to remove Conservation Commission Chair Paulette Kudzeba and member Steve Simkowitz on July 7. The removal of Kudzeba and Simkowitz led to letters of resignation from Commission members Toni-Lyn Morelli and James Hafner, as well as staff member Janice Stone.
Since their decision, other committees have discussed their feelings toward the incident. The Hadley Planning Broad briefly discussed it in their July 20 meeting, with mixed emotions. Member William Dwyer stated he’d sent an email to the Select Board regarding the Conservation Commission. “I believe others have written to the Select Board expressing disappointment with the way that was handled,” he started. “I focused on the fact that it was handled without any consultation with the rest of the town.”
Mark Dunn, who had attended the July 7 meeting, agreed saying, “I’ve heard David [Fill] say in the past that he leans towards appointed committees instead of elected committees and that it’s better to have us choose qualified people than to have it be a popularity contest. I’d rather have it be a popularity of the voters at large.”
Michael Sarsynski had other opinions. “I think what the Select Board did was good,” he said firmly. “Something had to be done and Bill [Dwyer] you should have called some farmers up and asked them what they thought about it.”
During the Select Board meeting, one of their primary reasons for reducing the size of the Conservation Commission was due to “customer service complaints.” Select Board Chair David J. Fill said, “All the complaints I’ve gotten, most of them from farmers in town, is that it’s a customer service issue.” These complaints hadn’t been brought to the Commission’s attention until that meeting.
During the public comments in the Select Board’s meeting on July 21, resident Randy Izer brought up the commission. “I’ve talked to several of you in person, via email with my wife. We believe that you, the board, did the town a huge disservice by not reappointing her [Kudzeba], particularly in the fashion that it was done. It was all one-sided and it’s my opinion that the board ought to vote to reinstate her or discuss the process that you took to uninstate her,” said Izer.
Another local resident, Rob Baranowski thought the board’s decision was just. “I think the board did a wonderful job,” he said.
Mark Britton also joined the Select Board meeting. Britton was the only non-resident and non-board member to speak against Kudzeba at the last meeting. Britton, who went to the following Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) meeting was denied the variance that he had complained to the commission about. Baranowski claimed the ZBA’s decision was influenced by Kudzeba attending the meeting.
"I was at that ZBA meeting that Mark Britton talked about. Paulette decided to show up to that meeting and basically help shoot it down,” said Baranowski. “She may have had valid points, she may have had the right legal terminology, but she has never shown up as a commissioner or as a private citizen to one of those ZBA [meetings] before. I think it was really vindictive of her to do this.”
Board member Amy Parsons spoke out in an attempt to clarify what she meant by the phrase “Team Hadley.” Parsons said this was part of the discussion during the July 7 meeting and as it blew up; she said she felt the newspapers hadn’t represented it properly. “What I mean when I talk about myself being a part of ‘Team Hadley’ isn’t just ‘oh, I’m from Hadley and I’m an original and I’m so important,’” she began. “What I mean is I’m an objective individual on the outside coming in. Yes, I was born and raised here. Yes, I went through the school system here, but I don’t have anything that’s biasing my opinions.”
As of now the Select Board continues to look for two new Conservation Commission members, with no intention of reinstating Kudzeba.