MSTA calls for Middlebury first selectman, others to resign

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Middlebury Small Town Alliance (MSTA) President Jennifer Mahr announced on May 15 that the MSTA is calling for Middlebury First Selectman Edward B. St John, Conservation Commission Chairman Paul Bowler, Conservation Commission member George Tzepos and Conservation Commission member Curtis Bosco to resign. The organization has created a petition calling for these actions and is circulating the petition in town.

The petition lists the following reasons for the call for resignation:

1. We have lost confidence in each person’s ability to represent Middlebury citizens’ wishes in matters affecting the entire town;
2. Middlebury’s Code of Ethics has been improperly used to silence town officials’ rights to express a personal opinion on an issue of great public interest;
3. The Town of Middlebury hired George Logan as an “independent” reviewer of Application #490 despite his previous work for the applicant (Drubner) on other Middlebury projects to ensure the project did not receive a rigorous or meaningful review;
4. The Town of Middlebury previously approved the development of residential projects adjacent to a Light Industrial Zone but now is inviting in a heavy industrial use that threatens the health, well-being, safety and property values of Middlebury residents;
5. Chairman Paul Bowler was chronically absent from the many meetings held on Application #490 but appeared in time to vote for the project;
6. A minority (3 members) of the 7-member Conservation Commission approved Application #490 in what appeared to be a rushed vote when the full Commission was not present;
7. Commissioner George Tzepos and Chairman Paul Bowler admitted publicly that they were personally not in favor of the project but voted to approve so the town did not get sued; and
8. Commissioner Curtis Bosco justified his vote for the project based on what he personally wanted to see happen on the property as the Town’s Zoning Enforcement Officer, in direct contradiction to the expressed wishes of Middlebury residents.

Editor’s note on Item 6: Four members were present at the meeting (one via Zoom). Three voted to approve the application; one voted not to approve it.

Mahr presented the petition during public comments at the May 15 Board of Selectmen meeting, preceded by a presentation that, among other things, protested Middlebury Police Chief Pat Deely’s comments quoted in a Republican-American article on events at the May 10 Conservation Commission meeting, saying Deely falsely represented what happened at that meeting. More reporting on this issue will be forthcoming.