Katelynn Lemieux, who was selected to serve as the Saugus Housing Authority’s new executive director last month, said that she discussed her arrest in December for operating under the influence with the authority’s Board of Commissioners after she was offered the job.
The Item received an anonymous email from a resident of Saugus who provided the case number in connection with Lemieux’s arrest. She was charged with operating under the influence of liquor and negligent operation of a motor vehicle, both of which were misdemeanors in this case.
On Jan. 16, according to the record of the case, Lemieux’s case was continued without a finding for a year. Lemieux wrote that this was conditioned on her payment of court fines, being placed on a year of administered supervised probation, and attendance of a 16-week first-time impaired driver’s course, half of which she said she has completed, she said. Her license was also to be suspended for 60 days, although she said the Registry of Motor Vehicles granted her a hardship license.
The author of the email wrote that Lemieux’s selection as executive director of the board meant that either the authority was negligent during the screening process, or that she had failed to disclose important information.
“I am not disputing nor defending my arrest of operating under the influence of (medically prescribed) antidepressants and alcohol. I take ownership of that poor choice, I am remorseful, and am eternally grateful that no one was hurt,” Lemieux wrote in an email to The Item. “However, I am disputing that there were any wrongdoings committed by the Board of Commissioners or myself.”
Lemieux, who beat out two other candidates for the job, wrote that when the board offered her the position, a criminal record check was conducted.
“Discussion was had regarding difficult life events that had occurred prior to my arrest, my health, and my life moving forward,” she wrote.
Lemieux added that neither she nor members of the board had malicious intent or attempted to deceive anyone throughout the process.
Lemieux wrote that she had been struggling with mental health due to personal trauma, and contacted her prescriber for help. She said that her prescribed dosage of medication had been increased shortly before her arrest.
“It is only because I had sought treatment (on my own), that I am here today to respond to the recent allegations of wrongdoings committed by the Saugus Housing Authority Board of Commissioners and myself,” she wrote.
The anonymous email also stated that the face of the Saugus Housing Authority should not be someone “who does not respect the law or the safety of herself or others.”
In her response, Lemieux wrote that she emphasizes with and understands this concern, but that her arrest has not prevented her from working in her current job as the executive director of the Wilmington Housing Authority, nor will it prevent her from serving as the executive director for the Saugus Housing Authority.
“My qualifications, years of experience, valid driver’s license, and proven track record of success speak for themselves,” Lemieux wrote. “Furthermore, the face of the Saugus Housing Authority is not just the face of one. It is the faces of those who support and do the work of the Housing Authority, employees, commissioners, members of the community, and other stakeholders.”
Lemieux wrote that her personal life and traumas should have no impact on the accomplishments and work of the Saugus Housing Authority.
She referred to a Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless report that Massachusetts is the “third least affordable area state in the country,” and said that the housing crisis, demand for affordable housing, and housing insecurity are more newsworthy than her arrest.
“As the executive director, I look forward to continuing the success of the Saugus Housing Authority, building a partnership with the community, and forever being grateful for this opportunity,” she wrote.
Lemieux’s contract with the Saugus Housing Authority is currently being reviewed by the Executive Offices of Housing and Livable Communities for approval, which is required for all housing authority directors in the state.
