Setting the Record Straight

There have been a number of comments and misstatements on Patch and elsewhere in this campaign regarding my work for the Town, its legitimacy, and whether it represents a conflict of interest for my husband, Chuck Woodard, who is running for one of the new seats on the Board of Selectmen. These comments, at the least, reflect a misunderstanding of the state ethics laws and, in some cases, have gone so far as to question our integrity.

In the 23 years that we’ve lived in Sudbury, Chuck and I have contributed countless volunteer hours on town boards and committees. In addition to his 7 years on the FinComm, I was a member of the Planning Board for 11 years, and served on the Land Use Priorities Committee, Master Plan Committee and the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) on the Route 20 Sewer Project. I also donated my time and expertise to help craft the town’s impervious surface bylaw, irrigation bylaw, and stormwater management bylaw and regulations.

 In my professional life, I am a registered professional Civil Engineer and have more than 30 years of experience in the areas of water quality, stormwater management, wastewater disposal and environmental monitoring. For the past 16 years, I have worked as an independent consultant and have provided technical “peer” review of projects for Conservation Commissions and/or Planning Boards in a number of Massachusetts towns, including North Andover, Dedham, Shirley, Wayland, Wellesley, Westwood, Billerica, and Marblehead.   I also helped to prepare stormwater-related bylaws and regulations in several of those communities.

In 2012, three years after leaving the Planning Board, I responded to a Request for Qualifications posted on the Town of Sudbury website and submitted a proposal for stormwater review services. As it turned out, I was the only respondent. I was also deemed to be technically qualified. Before I was hired, I contacted the State Ethics Commission to ensure that there was no conflict of interest with my continued membership on the Sewer TAC and Chuck’s role on FinComm. I was advised that there would be no conflict provided the contract designated me as a “special municipal employee”.  I would then need to file a Section 20D disclosure regarding my work on the TAC as well as this contract, which the Board of Selectmen would need to approve. The disclosure had to do with the fact that both roles were through the Planning Office; I could alternatively have resigned from the Sewer TAC. Chuck’s role on FinComm did not provide any conflict, though it was advised that he disclose my financial interest when FinCom reviewed the Planning Department budget. On June 12, 2012 the BOS voted unanimously to approve the exemption to allow the Town Manager to sign a contract for stormwater management review services with me as a Special Municipal Employee, and the final contract was executed in June 2012. Unless extended by the Town, it expires May 31, 2014.

I have provided technical review comments for six different projects before the Planning Board and/or Conservation Commission under this contract. My fee for this work does not come out of the town budget; it is paid by the applicants for the permits being requested out of an escrow account set up by the Town. I have never represented any entity other than the Town of Sudbury before any town board.

Before entering the Selectmen’s race, Chuck also consulted the State Ethics Commission to determine whether my stormwater review work for the Town would represent a conflict of interest should he be elected. He was told that it would not be; he would just need to recuse himself from any actions regarding my contract. That being said, if Chuck is elected, we are prepared for me to terminate my contract with the Town on the basis that there is a perceived  (but not actual) conflict. I would continue to serve on the Sudbury Water District Commission, to which I was recently elected to fill a vacant position (the Water District is an independent entity from the Town of Sudbury) and, unless the new BOS deemed otherwise, would continue to serve on the Sewer TAC and Steering Committee.

Our willingness to forgo some of my income so that Chuck can take a volunteer position on the Board of Selectmen should be further evidence of how deeply we care about this community.  

Lisa D. Eggleston