SOUTHWICK – As the Planning Board concluded its more than two-hour meeting Tuesday night, Board President Michael Doherty and Board Member David Sutton announced they were stepping down.
“After tonight’s meeting I am considering resigning,” Doherty announced to his fellow board members.
“It’s a good breaking point … and I wasn’t playing around to run for re-election,” said Doherty, who would have finished his second consecutive five-year term in May.
Sutton then intervened.
“You just beat me to the punch line. I was just finishing these last ones [meetings]. I will also resign,” said Sutton, who was re-elected last May to a new five-year term.
“Many years have passed. Mike, you have done a fantastic job. Being under your leadership has been great. I have no qualms about resigning at this time. I’ve been through a lot this year, and this just brings it to mind,” Sutton said.
“We’ve done a lot,” Doherty said of working with Sutton for nearly a decade.
Doherty said leaving the council at this time was good because of “what’s going on and what’s ending,” Doherty said.
He also urged the Select Board, which will appoint an interim board member, to promote associate board member Diane Juzba.
“I hope the Board of Directors will elevate him to a full-time member,” Doherty said.
The “what’s coming” Doherty was referring to was an overhaul of the restricted business zoning regulations and special permit criteria.
After the board last year denied a commercial developer a special permit to build a Dollar General on College Highway, the developer filed two lawsuits against the board in Land Court.
One of the lawsuits questioned the validity of the language of the statutes.
In November, Doherty announced that he wanted to review the statute in light of the lawsuit; both were dismissed after a mediation between the city and the development.
“It needs to be done sooner rather than later,” Doherty said at that November meeting.
As for what the board has finished, it closed a public hearing on Tuesday and granted a special permit for a residential development on South Loomis Road.
The only open public hearing is a request for a special permit to build a self-storage facility on College Highway, and City Planner Jon Goddard said during the meeting that the developers have proposed changing the use , which would mean they would have to reapply for a new special permit.
And during the meeting, he held his first public hearing on an application for a special permit for a recreational marijuana retail store on College Highway.
After Tuesday’s double resignations, Select Board member Diane Gale, who was at the meeting, was asked for her reaction.
He said the ads were “unexpected” and had “no relation to any situation”.
Gale liked that the current Planning Board had “different opinions,” and members congratulated each other as they “worked together to get the right answers,” he said.
Select board member Doug Moglin said he learned of the resignations Wednesday morning.
“I have tremendous respect for Mr. Doherty and Mr. Sutton for their longstanding commitment to the city and all the time and effort they have put in,” Moglin said in a statement. “These are key roles that will be difficult to fill.”
Right now, there are three members and one associate on the Planning Board.
Gale said the Board of Selectmen will appoint someone to fill Sutton’s vacant seat. Whoever is appointed will have to run for the seat during the municipal elections in May.
Once the Select Board fills the vacancy there will be four members, allowing it to continue working.
Gale told Juzba to let her know if she was interested in the date.