By Patrick Adrian
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CLAREMONT — The Claremont City Council turned down a motion by unanimous vote to appoint Councilor James Contois to the Claremont Planning Board, citing concerns about his ability to contain his strong public opinion on issues that may go before the board.
In a council discussion last month, Assistant Mayor Allen Damren announced that he would yield his council-member seat on the planning board to Contois, a recently elected council member. Contois had served as a resident on the planning board as an alternate and expressed an interest to continue his service.
The council decided to postpone voting on the appointment to allow Damren to formally submit a letter of resignation, which is customary before considering a departure.
At a meeting on Wednesday the council accepted Damren’s resignation, which was followed by a motion to appoint Contois. However, several councilors raised concerns over whether Contois, given his passion and history of vocal advocacy on many local issues, could remain neutral on matters that might cause deep personal conflict.
“In that particular seat you have to be neutral,” Councilor Nick Koloski told Contois. “And when there are published articles already about issues that may or may not go before the planning board, I have concerns about that.”
The “published articles” refers to Contois’ opinion letter published in The Eagle Times on Thursday, Feb. 20, in which Contois urges residents to oppose a proposed plan by waste management company American Recycling & Disposal to build a construction waste transfer station at 138 Industrial Blvd.
“It is essential that Claremont citizens come to the Zoning Board meeting on March 2 at 7 p.m. at City Hall,” Contois wrote. “Bring friends, bring your research, bring your outrage, bring your righteous indignation that these people would continue to assault our health and our city. Write letters to the editor.”
Contois, a longtime advocate for environmental protection and public health, actively opposed the project last year, when American Recycling & Disposal previously sought approval from the planning board. Contois was not a member of the planning board at that time, however.
American Recycling & Disposal, which withdrew its previous application last August, has submitted a different site plan that would bring trucks inside the facility to transfer their debris. This new design aims to relieve community concerns about potential pollution and nuisances.
Though Contois told the council that he would recuse himself from any vote in the event the application proceeds to the planning board.
However, councilors said their concern isn’t limited to the American Recycling & Disposal issue.
“[Planning and Zoning] are probably the two boards that could cost us the most, in the long run, of being sued,” Councilor Deb Matteau said. “You’re dealing with applicants that come before the city and a lot of times there’s money involved, and they have a lot of money to spend on lawyers, and we just have to be very careful.”
Many councilors emphasized that they personally value Contois’ passion and voice on issues that concern the city, an asset that is welcomed on the council. But the work associated with the planning and zoning boards requires its members to act more like members of an objective jury.
“Contois might be better served being in the audience, speaking to his issues, and not having to sit as a juror,” Matteau said.
Contois said he understood the council’s concerns but disputed the claim that he might have trouble maintaining neutrality in the long-term service. Although he acknowledged that his previous stance against American Recycling & Disposal is cause to recuse himself from a possible vote, Contois demonstrated his neutrality when serving on the board as an alternate.
“I will continue to advocate for the public health and public welfare for the voters in Ward II and all of the city,” Contois said. “In these issues it’s only common sense that I will have to recuse myself and step away from the table. But I don’t see how that pertains at all to long term serving on the planning board.”
Councilor Abigail Kier, who serves as vice-chair on the zoning board, took issue with Contois’ statement in his letter to the editor, saying that the board “has a long history of approving every variance request that comes before them.”
In addition to disagreeing with the claim, Kier said she had concerns about appointing a person who could undermine another city board, particularly one that partners most closely with the planning board.
The council voted to appoint Matteau to the planning board seat.
In a conversation Thursday with The Eagle Times, Contois said he still intends to be a lead advocate against the proposed waste transfer facility. He and his wife, Rebecca McKenzie, similarly fought the now-defunct Wheelabrator facility, which converted municipal waste into fuel.
“We don’t need anybody else’s garbage,” Contois said. “And that’s what this [proposed facility] would be.”
Contois said that being a strong advocate for public health and wellbeing isn’t a personal bias. Rather, those priorities are what he believes should drive how board members consider issues.
“I’m not a business-as-usual kind of person,” he said. “If the plan isn’t logical, if it doesn’t make sense for the community, I won’t support it.”
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