Selectman Peter Brown Takes Back Resignation

STOUGHTON, MA — Selectman Peter Brown will not be resigning after all.

Despite announcing his departure from the board of selectman following a heated exchange at last week's meeting, Brown has decided to stay on the board, stating on Stoughton Media Access Corporation's Stoughton Spotlight that he has not submitted a formal resignation letter.

Brown's sudden and short resignation came after resident and Stoughton recall advocate Patricia Colburn spoke during citizen's comment to criticize the board and Brown for going on Facebook to “name call and stir the pot.” Brown responded by lashing out at Colburn, yelling that he would not be berated.

"There was an incident I'm not proud of. I want to apologize to the residents. I hope they understand it was a heated exchange, it's been a contentious time. I feel like my family has been under attack, I feel like this board has been under attack and on that particular night I crossed a boundary and I basically lost my composure. I'm not proud of it and I regret it," Brown said.

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Following the incident, Brown said he received a message from his daughter, who was upset about the exchange. He then said was going to resign, effective immediately. During a three-day period that followed, Brown reconsidered after talking with his family and receiving messages of support.

"By Thursday night, I decided it was the best interest of this board to stay on," Brown said. "Sometimes we say things that we don't always mean and I hope they can understand that I did not submit a letter of resignation and I'd like to serve at least until Dec. 5."

Brown said he has not spoken to Colburn since the exchange but would be open to talking to her in the future.

Brown, along with board members David Sousa and Robert Cohn, face a recall election in December. The effort for a recall began to gain momentum following the ousting of Town Manager Michael Hartman. Brown has also faced criticism from residents for noting he could use a subpoena to force the organizers of the recall campaign to appear in front of the selectmen and explain the reasons behind the recall. He later said he would not use legal action. Some residents said that comment sounded like a threat.

Image via SMAC