Planning Board member resigns
By Jay TurnerTori McClain has called it quits after three years on the Canton Planning Board.
McClain, who still had two years remaining on the five-year seat she won in 2013, announced her “immediate” resignation in a letter sent to the Board of Selectmen on Monday.
“I have enjoyed my three-plus years in serving the citizens of Canton,” she wrote, “but a myriad of circumstances, including competing personal priorities and untenable board members’ behaviors, make this difficult choice palatable.”
Although she did not elaborate on the “behaviors” referenced in her letter, McClain did urge the BOS to seek a replacement who would “question the status quo, listen to constructive feedback, and not blindly follow the current leadership of [the Planning Board].”
“It will be an egregious disservice to our citizenry and community to have yet another ‘yes man’ (or woman) in this now vacant seat,” she stated.
A native of Tennessee, McClain entered local politics in 2013 as a self-proclaimed outsider and as a vocal critic of Canton town government. Having spent the better part of the previous two years attending board meetings to oppose a condominium development near her home, McClain concluded that there was a general lack of “honesty and transparency” in government and sought to change it from the inside.
“Instead of writing letters to the paper or complaining about it to my friends, I figured the best way to assure that it changes is to become a part of it,” she told the Citizen at the time.
During her three years on the board, McClain championed issues such as open space preservation and also showed a willingness to challenge project applicants as well as her fellow board members. However, she also came under fire for her spotty attendance record — particularly over the past two years, during which time she missed more than half of the Planning Board’s regularly scheduled meetings.
McClain has never publicly provided a reason for her absences, and attempts by the Citizen to contact her for this story were unsuccessful.
On Tuesday, Planning Board Chairman Jeremy Comeau sent the following statement with regard to McClain’s sudden departure: “I thank Mrs. McClain for her service to the town and wish her the best with her future endeavors. However, now it is time to move forward with the business of the town. We will work jointly with the Board of Selectmen in appointing an adequate replacement.”
Whomever is selected for the position would serve until April 2017. The final year of the expiring term would then be placed back on the ballot and would be open to any interested candidate.
BOS Chairman John Connolly, who was also reached on Tuesday, declined to comment on McClain’s resignation but encouraged residents who are interested in serving to send a letter to the Board of Selectmen. Connolly said the position will remain open for at least two weeks with the goal of making an appointment by early May.
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=33045
Posted by Jay Turner
on Apr 14 2016. Filed under News, Town Government.
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