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Request Follows Scathing Critique From A Select Board Member
On Monday, October 7, the Sudbury Zoning Board of Appeals voted unanimously to request a new Select Board liaison.
The Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA), which is appointed by the Select Board, is responsible for reviewing and approving special permits and variances related to the Town’s Zoning Bylaw. Select Board liaisons facilitate communication between various boards and committees and the Select Board in an effort to promote collaboration throughout Town groups.
On Monday, John Riordan, the chair of the ZBA, provided a summary of the situation from the ZBA’s perspective:
“The Select Board, which took up the reappointment of members, and then there was, to put it kindly, a discussion about the Zoning Board of Appeals led by Select Board Member Charlie Russo. And in that meeting, Mr. Russo launched an intemperate, injudicious and largely inaccurate depiction of the Zoning Board of Appeals, its activities and also the work of Mr. Gossels. Our former colleague Jon Gossels who was applying for reappointment, and also myself, the chair. But there was extensive criticism of the Board of Appeals generally, painting an inaccurate picture of the board. I’ll leave it at that.”
Riordan encouraged the public to watch the July 16 meeting of the Select Board to see the exchange about the ZBA for themselves and recommended a path forward:
“I believe after his intemperate screed on the 16th, any possible sense that Mr Russo could be a fair-minded, open-minded and neutral observer of this board went right out the window. It is my feeling that the best thing we could ask is for the Select Board… I would like to see if we could get a motion to have the Select Board revisit the decision about the Select Board’s appointment of Mr. Russo as the liaison to the Zoning Board of Appeals, and to appoint another impartial, unbiased, and more fair-minded appointment of another Select Board member to serve as liaison to our committee.”
Riordan went on to reference that this request had precedent, dating back to 2020 when the Park and Recreation Commission requested a new liaison after then-Select Board member Bill Schineller had publicly criticized that commission. (Minutes)
Frank Riepe made the motion to request the Select Board replace Russo with a new member, and Jennifer Pincus seconded the motion. There was minimal discussion after the motion, and the vote was unanimous in favor.
In July, the Select Board was tasked with the routine reappointment of members to the Zoning Board of Appeals. At the time, Russo offered robust criticism of the work of the ZBA, objecting to several specific decisions they had made in recent years:
“I think, in total, as someone who has watched the ZBA for a while, there has really been a history of poor decision making. There has also been recently a trend, frankly an increasing trend, toward advocacy instead of objectively applying regulations which is the function of the ZBA. And frankly people who don’t play by the rules.”
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Russo went on to add specifics regarding his disagreement with the ZBA’s handling of a number of issues, including their opposition to the Select Board’s firearms business use zoning bylaw at the May 2024 Town Meeting, their opposition to a Article 32 at the same Town Meeting, opposition to a proposed business at Sudbury Crossing, which eventually became home to a Dollar Tree, and their involvement in the Stone Tavern controversy from years ago, among several others. He concluded:
“All of this is bad governance, goes against the rule of law, and frankly common decency.”
Later in the discussion Russo asked Town Manager Andy Sheehan to share information about alleged conduct of one of the members of the ZBA, which concerned Russo. After a pause, Sheehan responded “I’d prefer to stay out of the political battles if you don’t mind.”
The Select Board was divided on the issue. Member Janie Dretler raised concerns about what was happening:
“I’m shocked to say the least. This does feel like retaliation and a lot of the things that were brought up by one person, I feel like this is bordering on slander and I’m shocked that this occurred in our meeting. And that’s all I’ll say.”
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Later in the meeting, Mr. Riordan was reappointed to the ZBA, but Mr. Gossels was not. Member Janie Dretler made a motion to reappoint both, but that was voted down 2-3, with only Dretler and member Lisa Kouchakdjian voting in support. The board then voted the reappointments separately. Gossels was not reappointed by way of a 2-3 vote. Riordan was reappointed by way of a 3-2 vote. Member Russo and member Dan Carty voted no. The ZBA’s associate members were reappointed with unanimous votes.
More recently, the Select Board voted unanimously to appoint Michael Hershberg as a full, voting member to the ZBA. Hershberg was among the ZBA members who voted unanimously to request a new liaison from the Select Board on Monday.
