Thank you to all the individuals who have voiced their support for Bill Keohan, long-serving chair of the Community Preservation Committee (CPC).
Thanks to Bill and the other dedicated members of the CPC, several of Plymouth’s most historically important buildings have been successfully restored, thus enabling these beautiful structures to continue playing important functional roles in our community, while helping to preserve the character of our town.
In 2016, Bill received the prestigious Achievement in Open Space Stewardship award from the Association of Conservation Commissioners. Bill was nominated for this award by the Plymouth Conservation Commission, the town manager, the CPC, and several environmental groups, a clear indication of how well-respected he was.
As outsiders to town politics, it appears to us as if a strategic chess game is in progress in which the Select Board is maneuvering to gain control of the CPC, which should function as a totally independent board. In addition to John Mahoney, the Select Board’s official representative to the CPC, a former Select Board member, Betty Cavacco, was appointed to the CPC by the Select Board after they refused to reappoint long-serving CPC member Joan Bartlett.
Based on the verbal abuse that certain individuals have directed at Bill Keohan in recent months, it appears as if the Select Board may be setting the stage to remove him from his position as chair of the CPC. This would be a huge loss to Plymouth. We strongly hope that Bill Keohan will be reappointed to the CPC and continue as chair when his current term expires.
Donna Petrangelo, Rick McDonald, Abigail Bottome, Lee Marchant, and Valerie Peck