SWAMPSCOTT – The Selectmen?s Meeting Room and the hallway outside were filled with 50 residents from several of Swampscott?s condominium complexes Wednesday night, all waiting for a vote to approve trash pickup by the town that would never come.Attorney Richard Brooks, who said he has represented 36 other condominiums in other cities and towns who are vying for trash pickup, said before the meeting that the “magic formula” was there for a positive vote in Swampscott.?You need someone in the room to speak for the residents, you need a selectman who cares, and you need to fill the room with condo owners that show that they care,” said Brooks. “The magic formula usually passes.”Brooks will have to wait until the next Board of Selectmen meeting on Sept. 19 to see if his formula rings true. The board opted not to vote at Wednesday night?s meeting after an ethical dilemma left them split on the issue – Selectman Jill Sullivan chose not to vote or comment on the issue being an owner of a unit at condominium complex Summit Estates, leaving the rest of the group in a seemingly 2-2 tie. Though the motion was given on the vote to approve the proposal, there was no second.Chairman Rich Malagrifa and Selectman Barry Greenfield were for trash pickup at the condominiums. Malagrifa designed the original proposal that Crown Pointe and Hawthorne?s Crossing would have trash picked up once a week, Summit Estates would have trash picked up twice weekly, and The Glen would have trash picked up every other week. The plan would include increased recycling, and would cost the town $17,656 per year for 666 units.Malagrifa said that condominium residents pay the same taxes as other Swampscott residents, and therefore they should receive the same services, especially since the complexes contain a large population of seniors. The crowd of residents all agreed with his line about the main issue being “fairness versus money.”Greenfield said, “It only comes down to $30 a unit – that?s not much money. It makes sense that these people should have some relief in having their trash picked up. We all live in this town, we should be trying to create a community, not separate it.”Selectman David Van Dam and Selectman Glenn Kessler decided they needed more information before voting. Kessler said he was unsure if the relief given to the condominiums for trash pickup would reach the actual residents and not be used by the owners of the complexes for some other issue. “This is very complicated,” said Kessler. “I would like to know that prior to making a definitive statement ? to make sure the beneficiaries would be the residents.”Patty Ryan, manager of The Glenn, Crown Pointe and Summit Estates, responded by saying the residents would see the relief in the money they pay.Van Dam said he was concerned that allowing these condominiums to have their trash picked up would result in a Pandora?s box of problems. “We have 15 more condos going up – what do we do there, does $17,000 go up to $100,000?” he said. Van Dam added that condominium residents already receive many town services like police, fire and ambulances.When asked if there was anyone against the issue who wanted to speak, no one spoke up but Rosalie Kaufman, resident of Crown Point, said if there were anyone against the proposal, “We?re not going to let them through.”Kait Taylor can be reached at [email protected].