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WILMINGTON MEMORIAL LIBRARY WILMINGTON, MASS. &Z*** ■oHVvA* «$?>*+*\C **' A\ A^' uv A >■(.> mmt drier „w <I finks bur rj - Jflilntingtiui PLUS 25TH YEAR • NO. 50 'COPYRIGHT 1980 WILMINGTON NEWS CO.. INC WILMINGTON, MASS., DECEMBER 10, 1980 PUB. NO. 635-340 658-2346 38 PAGES SUPPLEMENT ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Town meeting rejects housing, adopts recall "I think this is a revolt tonight!'' would also have to pass at the next said former selectman Dan Gillis. town election. The revolt Gillis was referring to Former selectman Carl Backman was at Monday night's special town said that the proposal for a charter Town Meeting Scoresheet meeting, where voters were about to change, a very serious change in the decide on a proposal to create a recall structure of our government was Article Subject Vote Yes • No petition process for elected officials. being requested under conditions that The recall passed overwhelmingly, don't lend themselves to calm, cool Article 1 Recall petition Yes 368 - 106 368 to 106. consideration. The revolt gsew out of a con- After the voters had passed the Article 2 Land purchase No 89 - 292 troversy over federally subsidized recall proposal, Gorman requested housing. The Wilmington Housing that Articles 6, 7 and 8 be advanced. Article 3 Land purchase Passed over Authority (WHA) had proposed two Those three articles had been sub- projects of housing near Wilmington mitted by the housing authority, Article 4 Revaluation Yes 341 - 4 Plaza, one for elderly, one for related to the proposed projects. families of low income. The projects Articles 2 and 3 were the proposals by Article 5 Age change Passed over were opposed by a group which had the CCW to take the land by eminent formed under the name of the Con- domain, with the intent of stopping Article 6 Elderly housing No 62 - 388 cerned Citizens of Wilmington. the projects. (CCW). The town meeting voted to advance Article 7 Family housing No Voice The CCW clearly was the victor in the articles. Paul Theodos, a director the special town meeting. Voters of the CCW, then sought to combine Article 8 Land transfer No 24 - 413 rejected the proposals of the WHA articles 6 and 7. Article 6 was a non- binding referendum on elderly and passed the recall proposal of the Article 9 Land sale Passed over CCW. The proposals of the CCW to housing. Article 7 was a non-binding referendum on family housing. take the housing land by eminent Article 10 Conservation transfer Yes 219 - 15 domain, though, did not pass. Moderator John Callan ruled Article 1, the recall article, set the against combining the articles. tone for the meeting. Discussion on it Rocco DePasquale sought to clarify lasted approximately one hour. two points. If the town voted in favor the town meeting. Finance Committee member Persons speaking in favor of the of the elderly housing and against the Tracy Nixon, a member of the Michael Dolan said, "The Concerned recall process, among them Gillis and family housing, would the housing CCW, said that Articles 6 and 7 had Citizens of Wilmington had better be Anthony DeLuca, drew enthusiastic authority drop its use of Chapter 774? been opinion polls. Article 8 was the concerned about Wilmington." applause from the crowd. And would the developer be in a real thing. Gorman then withdrew Article 3. The article proposing the recall position to build just the elderly The vote on Article 8 was 24 to 413. Article 4 was to authorize an ap- petition process was presented by housing, if such were the wishes of the Town meeting then resumed the propriation of $200,000 for a James Gorman, president of the town meeting? regular order of warrant articles, revaluation of real estate in town. CCW. He said that the recall would WHA member George Hooper said taking up Article 2. The article The State Department of Revenue reinforce the influence the voter that the developers have said they proposed that the town buy as con- had ordered the town to conduct a needs in town affairs. would back off on family housing. He servation land the site which had been revaluation, or else the state would do One person who spoke against the also said that he had never voted for proposed for the elderly housing. The the job. The annual town meeting in recall proposal was former selectman the use of Chapter 774. Paul Theodos presentation on the article was by April had turned down an ap- George Boylen, a distanct cousin of said that Siflinger (area director of James Gorman. propriation of $125,000 for the project. Gorman. HUD) \ had said that the projects The motion asked for an ap- Selectman John Imbimbo asked "I was a selectmen in town for quite cannot be separated. propriation of $83,000 by bond issue. where the extra $75,000 had come a long time," he said. "I didn't run A new resident of Wilmington spoke In his presentation of materials from. the last time, because who needs the up to say that he had seen a similar prepared ahead of time, Gorman had Town Manager Sterling Morris said job." project destroy the town of North allowed for $242,000 for land pur- that the figure had come from the Anthony DeLuca spoke at length in Babylon on Long Island. "There's chases of Articles 2 and 3. firm that would be doing the work. favor of the proposal. DeLuca retired 3000 houses for sale in North Babylon While Gorman was presenting his A long discussion then ensued on the last year as business manager of the right now." arguments for the article. State Rep. subject of bidding for the work. Dolan Wilmington Public Schools, and had John Sanbom spoke. "I hear James Miceli was talking with asked if the job didn't have to go out to also served as bookkeeper for the George Hooper and the elderly say, members of the housing authority, bid. Morris replied that bids were housing authority. He now serves as 'You don't have another choice.' You asking that they drop their use of required only for a product, not for a business manager at Shawsheen do. Why don't we build the housing. Chapter 774. Under that law, the service. The art of face painting wag a hit at the St. Thomas Tech. Why don't we tar and feather them! housing authority could have The article was amended twice. Finishing Church Christmas fair on Saturday. Sharon Jamer- "If we are to be considered in- Take the housing committee and kick preceded with construction of the One amendment, by Rocco tOUch son applied a variety of makeup to give Laurie telligent enough to vote for a person, 'em out!" housing projects, bypassing many DePasquale, requried that the final town controls. The housing authority Wheeler a red nose, red cheeks and granny glasses. then we are endowed with the same Duncan McNeil said that up until valuation of residential real estate not intelligence to remove them, and we Friday, he was fully committed to members agreed to drop it, but in an exceed the present percentage of don't have that right," he said. vote in favor of elderly housing. He informal vote. value, compared to industrial and DeLuca read a long list of said that he had received a letter on Bill Belbin sought to amend Article commercial real estate. Carol singing on the common problems. "When elected officials Wilmington Housing Authority let- 2 with a provision that the costs of the Alco Caira submitted a motion, work with a 'be damned' attitude to terhead, but that the postmark was landtaking be borne by the Concerned requiring bidding on the contract. the voters, and do as they wish," was from Manchester, New Hampshire. Citizens of Wilmington. After The vote on the article was 341 to 4. The Wilmington Council of Chur- choirs as well as Boy Scouts will He said that he didn't intend to vote Moderator Callan ruled the amend- A motion was then made and ac- ches has announced that there will be participate in the festivity. among the problems he charged. DeLuca pointed out that in addition the wishes of somebody out of the ment to be out of order, Belbin cepted to advance Article 10 for a Carol Sing and tree lighting on the Cocoa will be served at the First state of New Hampshire. quipped, "Nothing is in order when consideration. The article sought to common, Friday, December 12 at 7 Baptist Church following the to the two-thirds vote at the special town meeting, the recall proposal Selectman Dan Ballou said, you want to save some money!" change to conservation land a piece of p.m. The Girl Scouts and several program. speaking of elderly versus family Finance Committee Chairman town-owned land in South housing. "They're telling you that Walter Kaminski urged the voters to Wilmington. The land in question is a you can have one without the other. turn down the land taking. He said narrow strip of land between Cook That is deceptive." that the article was not for con- Avenue and a piece of land which is Highway Dept. The vote on the elderly housing was servation, but to stop the public owned by Middlesex M&R Realty overwhelmingly against it, 62 to 388. housing. Trust. Article 9 was a proposal by the Bill Belbin questioned whether Kaminski said that spending the trust to buy the land. heeds help people knew what they were voting money would cut into the educational Dennis Rooney, the principal of the Winter weather means extra work on, but John Callan ruled that the vote funding of the town.