Defeated Wilmington Selectman Candidate Says He Won't Run Again

WILMINGTON, MA -- Rob Fasulo, who lost Saturday's election for a seat on the Wilmington Board of Selectmen to Jonathan Eaton, said in a Facebook post Saturday that he would not be running for elected office in the future. But he hinted that a follow-up post would "shed some light on how things get done in our town." That post came Sunday afternoon, and in it Fasulo suggested an article on next Saturday's town meeting warrant that would make it easier to build housing units would likely pass.

During the campaign, Fasulo had been a vocal opponent of article 53, which he and other opponents fear will allow for the creation of hundreds of new housing units at Schiapra Farm by local developer Michael Welch. In the Sunday Facebook post, Fasulo included a screenshot by Jacqui Welch, the developer's daughter, promising to alert supporters 20-30 minutes before the article would be voted on so they could come to town meeting and vote on the measure.

"Have you ever sat at Town Meeting and seen what appears to be, for no apparent reason, an influx of people? This has been happening for YEARS. The builders know you want to mow your lawn, plant your shrubs or just be anywhere other than at Town Meeting. So, they encourage their supporters to go do other things and just come to vote on their article when it benefits them," Fasulo wrote. "Personally I think this is against the spirit of town meeting but you make the decision. Their organization is commendable. Again, this is not illegal but most of you wondered how it gets done."

Backers of the proposal say it will help Wilmington stay within state guidelines for affordable housing and bolster the towns residential property tax base. Opponents, like Fasulo, believe the measure will burden the town's school and decimate one of the town's most pristine tracts of open space.

Fasulo's race with Eaton was the most active of the three contested races in Saturday's election. On an almost daily basis in the week's leading up to polling, the two traded releases announcing new endorsements -- including one by Gov. Charlie Baker for Fasulo. In the end, Eaton defeated Fasulo by a margin of 1,449 to 1,105 votes.

The vote could be an early bellwether in the crowded race to replace Rep. James Miceli. Since Miceli's death on April 21, more than a dozen candidates have explored running for the seat, including Miceli's nephew and Wilmington Selectman Michael McCoy. McCoy endorsed Fasulo, and the two held similar views on a wide range of positions. McCoy submitted his completed nomination papers on Monday morning with 509 signatures, more than the 150 needed to be listed on the ballot, meaning he is likely to be the third candidate to officially enter the race.

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Patch file photo.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).