Town Manager: No Ethics Violations By Wilmington Boards

WILMINGTON, MA -- In a letter to the Wilmington Zoning Board of Appeals, Town Manager Jeffrey Hull said the Wilmington officials have "full confidence in its volunteer boards and commissions" and "confident that all members adhere" to state ethics regulations. The charges coming as a group formed to oppose a controversial drug treatment facility levies accusations of conflict of interest against members of the ZBA and Selectman Kevin Caira.

A video distributed on social media over the weekend by Concerned Citizen of Wilmington insinuates that SCaira has ties to the proposed drug treatment facility proposed for 362 Middlesex Avenue. And last month Concerned Citizens asked selectmen to step into the matter and remove ZBA Chair Daniel Veerman from decisions on the detox center if he refused to recuse himself.

On Monday, selectmen effectively declined to get involved when a motion to go into executive session to discuss Veerman failed. That means the board is unlikely to hold any sway in the detox center, which was approved by the town's planning board but failed to get the required super majority from the ZBA. An appeal of the town's denial is pending in Massachusetts land court.

In October 2017, Veerman used the term "junkie" to refer to people with drug addiction on his personal Facebook page. But Concerned Citizens only objected to his participation in the special permit process after he voted in favor of the proposal last month.

Veerman was one of three ZBA members to vote in favor of the project on Jan. 16. But with two members voting against the proposal, the project failed to get for final approval.

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Patch file photo. Video by Concerned Citizens of Wilmington.

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