SWAMPSCOTT — Select Board members expressed their frustration with the Housing Authority during a meeting on Wednesday night after learning that the Housing Authority voted on a new member for its board during what the Select Board referred to as a “secret” meeting.
Select Board Chair Polly Titcomb read a letter from Jan. 19 from the Housing Authority, stating that they voted with the Swampscott Senior Tenant Association to appoint Charles Patsios as the interim board member until the next election on April 26.
The Housing Authority held an off-schedule meeting without informing the Select Board or the public to vote on the seat, which Titcomb said wasn’t fair.
According to the town charter, both the board in search of a new member and the Select Board must vote on who to appoint, with the majority vote winning, but there is no law that says the two boards have to meet together to vote.
Housing Authority Executive Director Irma Chez said they proceeded by law, since “no joint meeting was necessary to vote.”
Titcomb said the town has received a number of applications for this seat, but hasn’t looked through any of them yet.
“I’m not sure what the Housing Authority did for review, but we have not reviewed any of the applicants,” Titcomb said. “The process has become political at this point because it’s not fair to the applicants that we haven’t reviewed and it’s equally, in some ways, unfair to the individual that the Housing Authority appointed because we’re either voting for or against this individual.”
Select Board member David Grishman said it’s disappointing that the Housing Authority already voted because he spent time speaking with some of the applicants, but didn’t get a chance to talk to all of them, so he is frustrated with the poor communication between the two boards.
“The people who are impacted here are the residents of Duncan, Doherty and Cherry Street,” Grishman said. “We did not do it like this with other boards with similar vacancies.”
Select Board member Peter Spellios agreed with Grishman about the lack of communication, saying it’s “mind boggling.”
“The fact that the Select Board was in contact with the Housing Authority about setting up a process for this and then they set a non-regular meeting to take a vote for this and didn’t notify anybody… no one here should be surprised,” Spellios said. “I find it ridiculous.”
Titcomb suggested not taking any action on this matter and just leaving the seat vacant until the town election in April, when residents will be able to vote on who to add to the Housing Authority board.
Select Board member Neal Duffy agreed with Titcomb’s stance on this, but Spellios disagreed and argued that it is their job to appoint an interim board member, and they need to “shine a light” on what he believes was wrongdoing by the Housing Authority.
Spellios also asked if the board can send a letter to the Housing Authority asking them to either record their Zoom meetings and make them available for members of the public to watch, or take the Select Board up on its offer to go to the high school for meetings where they can be taped and broadcasted live for residents to see.
Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald agreed with Spellios’ points he wants highlighted in a letter, and said the residents living in the Housing Authority’s units “deserve to have a board that really is, in good faith, working with this town as we seek to address the needs of those citizens.”
Grishman is attending the Housing Authority’s next meeting on Feb. 8 and said he will convey this message.
The Select Board decided to schedule a meeting sometime next week to focus solely on this issue and vote on who they want to appoint as the interim board member for the Housing Authority.
Spellios suggested putting Grishman in the interim seat of the Housing Authority, since he is already in communication with them and attends some meetings, so the board can see from the inside what it’s like and how the authority operates.
Patsios, the Housing Authority’s selection, said he doesn’t think the Select Board will vote him in as the interim member.
“I know that the Select Board has other ideas and it’s rather odd that they’re not supporting the Swampscott Housing Authority and their votes for the position,” Patsios said. “It’s a relatively short appointment; however, there’s still tons of time to do good work. I hope that the Swampscott Select Board sees that I am willing to work hard, and gives me the opportunity to work hard and prove myself.”
Patsios said if he is voted to fill the seat — which would require the Select Board to vote for him as well since they have more members than the Housing Authority — he promises to think, respond, and react so that everybody feels like they are included.
“I don’t use the word inclusive in such a broad stroke as to have it be a catchall; I use it appropriately,” Patsios said. “I want to include the tenants and the Swampscott Housing Authority and be as helpful as I can.”
