Two resign from Hampden Planning Board amid controversy

Sept. 2, 2021 | Sarah Heinonen
sheinonen@thereminder.com

HAMPDEN – Two members of the Hampden Planning Board tendered their resignations after opposition to a proposed self-storage unit led to the men being “accused of being on the take,” Town Administrator Bob Markel told Reminder Publishing.

Robert Howarth and Phil Schneider submitted the following letter to Markel:

“After over a combined 80-plus years of living in this great Town of Hampden, and many years of public service to the Town of Hampden, through various boards and committees, we have come to the conclusion that the time spent and effort given by us is no longer appreciated or understood by the townspeople that we have so diligently served.

“It is with regret that we have made the decision to retire from public service. We submit our resignations from the Town of Hampden Planning Board, effective Aug. 26, 2021.”

The pair ended their resignation by paraphrasing William Hershey Davis, with “A single newspaper (or social media) report gives you your reputation; a life of toil gives you your character.”

The resignations were submitted amid controversy over a self-storage facility proposed for the adjacent properties at 16 Somers Rd. and 2 Somers Rd., which also has an entrance at 23 East Longmeadow Rd. The Planning Board opened a public hearing, required by law, on the first parcel on July 28, followed by a public hearing on Aug. 11 on the second, smaller parcel.

Residents, including many of the properties’ abutters, have been outspoken in their opposition to this project and have taken to social media to express their views. Some of the people commenting turned their attention to Robert Howarth, the board’s chair.

On a Hampden community Facebook page, resident Stephen Bennett commented on the way Howarth, a retired judge, ran the July 28 Planning Board meeting. “Very unreasonable. It’s not your courtroom anymore. Very unprofessional. Let the people speak,” he said, later adding, “Give a few some power and it goes right to their head.”

Resident Joyce Zimmerman said, “He is very unethical, needs to get reported to the state ethics commission.”

During the Aug. 11 meeting, which was limited to the announcement of the public hearing continuations due to excessive heat, Howarth stated that he had spoken to the applicant earlier in the day due to the truncation of that evening’s meeting and asserted he had the authority to do so without the board’s permission because it was an emergency situation.

On August 18, resident Heidi Hannington posted a comment on the community page about Howarth’s Aug. 11 action. “This man is beyond disrespectful, rude and dismissive. Clearly speaking to the land-owner without the knowledge of the rest of the board not only breaks rules set forth by this town, but is also dishonest and makes one wonder if this person thinks he stands alone waiting to make a payday by getting this project pushed through, unbelievable even for small-town politics.”

Markel called the accusations “highly insulting,” and said that he has known Howarth for about 40 years. While Markel acknowledged Howarth can be “direct” and abrupt, he said that he is an honest man. Schneider has contributed to Hampden for many years, Markel said and added that he, too, is honest.

“It’s become commonplace for social media to be taken over by the angriest individuals,” Markel said, “who are usually the ones who know the least about how town government runs.”

The remaining three Planning Board members called a meeting, which was scheduled for Sept. 1, to appoint an interim chair, review the resumes of individuals interested in serving on the board and legally request a joint meeting with the Board of Selectmen (BOS) to select new members until the next town election. At that point, voters will choose people to fill the remainder of the terms, until 2023 and 2025.

Ironically, the public pressure that resulted in Howarth’s and Schneider’s exit could have led to the approval of the self-storage special permit that was being railed against. The Planning Board must close a public hearing within 65 days of the special permit request, in this case, Sept. 2. The petitioner allowed the board a waiver until Sept. 8. If the board does not adhere to this timeline, Markel said, the permit is “constructively granted.”

Four of the five Planning Board members are needed for a vote on special permits and Associate Member Richard Green is ineligible as he is an abutter to the project. There legally must be a week between the Sept. 1 Planning Board request and the joint session to appoint replacements.

To keep to that timeline the joint session will be scheduled for the same date as the Planning Board’s Sept. 8 meeting. This will ensure the Planning Board does not run afoul of MGL Chapter 39 Section 23D, known as the “Mullin Rule,” which states that a board member may only miss one meeting on a topic and still be allowed to vote after reviewing the minutes.

The BOS discussed the issue at their Aug. 30 meeting.

Planning Board member Jason Barroso took issue with the recommendations made by the BOS on the special permit and said some of the criticisms of the project had already been rectified.

“We’re in this position, not because of the Selectmen,” BOS Chair Donald Davenport fired back, referring to the time crunch under which new members must be chosen.

Davenport was adamant that his board attend the Sept. 1 Planning Board meeting to interview the potential replacements who have already submitted applications. While Flynn initially disagreed, it was eventually agreed that the BOS would continue their meeting until Sept. 1 at 6 p.m. to coincide with the Planning Board.

Candidates can continue to apply for the position until Sept. 7 at 5 p.m.

As of press time, the continued Planning Board public hearings on the parcels at 2 Somers Rd. and 16 Somers Rd. will be conducted at Thornton W. Burgess School at 6 p.m. on Sept. 8 and Sept. 15, respectively.

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