WEST STOCKBRIDGE — The sudden resignation of a highly respected selectboard member has thrown Town Hall for a loop and muddied the waters only a few days before the town caucus next week.
Roger Kavanagh, who was first elected only two years ago, stunned fellow board members by reading his letter of resignation via Zoom during Monday night’s regular board meeting. The resignation takes effect on May 9, the date of the next town elections.
Kavanagh, who said he made the decision “after months of consideration and deliberation with people whose counsel I value,” added that he was resigning at this time in order to allow interested persons the time to attend the caucus and get their names on the ballot if they’re interested in serving the remainder of his term.
See video below, courtesy of the Town of West Stockbridge, of selectboard member Roger Kavanagh reading his letter of resignation Monday night, followed by remarks by other board members:
“This is not a decision I made lightly,” Kavanagh said. However, he added, “I’ve learned that prior boards and administrators, all with good intentions, have left behind a seemingly endless number of not-quite-finished tasks and poorly executed decisions that have plagued the selectboard from the start of my tenure.”
Ironically, Kavanagh, 76, was one of those board members who appears to be respected by town residents of all political stripes. He moved to town in 2016 with his wife Karen after a long career as an Air Force nuclear weapons specialist and a project manager in both the public and private sectors.
Kavanagh, who could not be reached for further comment, promptly established himself as a fixture in Town Hall, attending and participating in numerous selectboard meetings. He ran for the board four years later and defeated former selectman Peter Skorput 266-128.
“I’ve learned that the current structure of town government is a template for inefficiency where everyone reports to the selectboard, though the selectboard itself does not have the authority to see or coordinate the day-to-day administration,” Kavanagh said.
“I’ve learned that the town is slowly and quietly splitting into factions: one that wants everything to be like it used to be, another that sees transformation as the only answer for the future,” he continued. Little has changed since he took office, Kavanagh said, and “the prospect of making a meaningful impact” is as elusive as ever.
“I regret your decision, and just have found you to be such an asset and so diligent in your pursuits on behalf of the town, that I think that this loss is really a harsh one,” said fellow board member Kathleen Keresey. “I understand and respect your decision.”
Board chair Eric Shimelonis acknowledged that serving on the selectboard is a “tough” job and that the administrative “structure feels quite obsolete for the modern day.” Shimelonis, who himself is running for reelection to the board this year, added that he has “really been on the fence myself about a future in local politics.”
In an Edge interview, Shimelonis said the divisions in West Stockbridge “go way back,” just as they do in most towns. Town disputes date back at least to its history as a mecca for stone production at its many quarries.
“At some point it was the Irish and the Italians, at another point it was Gordon Rose who came into town to make some big changes and there were those who were against that, so division here is nothing new,” said Shimelonis. “It’s just that we have a particular kind of division right now.”
Rose was a musician-turned-developer who “discovered” West Stockbridge in the 1970s. He bought the village’s Westbridge Inn, which was little more than a local bar, and transformed it into a 15-room hostelry with a restaurant. Rose also played a key role in bringing Truc Orient Express into town.
The current division appears to be classic Berkshires friction between newcomers and longtime residents. In a campaign spearheaded by Shimelonis, a relative newcomer, West Stockbridge native Skorput was forced out from his position as fire chief amid allegations of ethical violations sustained by the state Ethics Commission, which fined him $5,000. The chief’s ouster prompted a backlash from his supporters, some of whom had harsh words for the selectboard and Shimelonis personally.
Shimelonis said the pandemic has made life difficult for town residents at large, as well as for elected officials. He pointed to the controversy that erupted last year when The Foundry, a downtown performance venue, was the subject of heated complaints — later resolved — about noise, crowd control, and property rights after pandemic-related restrictions forced some of its performances outdoors. Shimelonis, a professional musician, was himself the object of conflict-of-interest allegations because he volunteered occasionally at The Foundry.
“The fact is the divisions are nationwide,” Shimelonis said. “Politicians have had a really hard time during COVID … and our town had a particular challenge with an entertainment venue being forced outside and the blowback from that.”
Shimelonis said he knows of others who have indicated an interest in running for public office but he did not want to name them publicly before the caucus.
Reached by The Edge, Skorput said he has emailed Kavanagh asking him to reconsider his resignation but had not yet heard back from him. Skorput said he is undecided as to whether he will run again but a change is in order, because if he and his supporters can “get someone to run against Eric, the town would be run properly.”
“I just want what’s best for the town of West Stockbridge,” Skorput said in a text message. “No personal agendas.”
The March 24 caucus takes place at 7 p.m. at the town offices. The list of available seats can be found here. The annual town election is Monday, May 9 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
