EDC Members Resign

By Cynthia Drummond for BRVCA
December 15th 2023

RICHMOND – Most of the members of the Economic Development Commission, including its president, resigned at Monday’s EDC meeting, citing frustration with the Town Council.

As of this writing, the only member to submit his resignation in writing is commission Vice Chair, B. Joseph Reddish.

“I don’t feel that the Town Council is focused on wanting to support the EDC, based on their actions and comments that have been made by council members,” Reddish said Thursday. “I think we all, in our minds, were fed up and it came to culmination.”

In addition to Reddish, EDC Chairman Bryan LeBeau, and members Louise Dinsmore and Joan Kent resigned, leaving Commission Clerk David Woodmansee and member Peter Burton.

Town Council President Mark Trimmer said the members who resigned were breaking the oaths they had taken to serve the town.

“They took an oath to serve the town,” he said. “They did not keep their oath to serve the town and they did not communicate with the Town Council, other than a rather insulting letter that they sent.”

Trimmer said LeBeau had not responded to his telephone calls or emails, nor did he ever appear at council meetings.

“He didn’t return any of my phone calls or communications, emails, text messages and so on. I’ve been offering to meet with him since May. … I’ve spoken with him on the phone once, and I’ve had a brief text exchange with him, asking him if we could get together and talk, and he did not respond to me.”

Trimmer also noted that the commission had not responded to numerous invitations to attend Town Council meetings.

Going forward, he said the town would begin recruiting EDC members to replace those who had resigned.

“We look to fill the Economic Development Commission with people that will keep their oath and work for the benefit of the town,” he said.

Trimmer noted that he planned to invite Woodmansee to be a part of the ad hoc committee charged with attracting new businesses to the town.

Approved by the council in November, the committee will also include Trimmer, the Chair of the EDC, Town Planner Talia Jalette and Town Administrator Karen Pinch and would meet only when necessary.  

Councilor Samantha Wilcox, who attends commission meetings as an observer, said she had attempted to get the commission and the council to work together.

“I offered a workshop to get everyone on the same page and to work collaboratively, and instead, there’s four resignations, each person with their own reasons,” she said. “First, we need their official resignations, I believe,” she said. “From there, once we get new volunteers, I’d like for us to hold our workshop and get the new volunteers on the same page with council and move forward.”

Wilcox added that she was not anticipating any difficulties recruiting new commission members.

“I’m definitely confident we can get volunteers. I’ve reached out to a few people already, so we’ll see,” she said.

Trimmer added,

“At this point, I think the Town Council will need to assume the role of the EDC, and I think that I will ask David Woodmansee if he would be a representative on that ad hoc committee when we meet with potential investors in our town.

Colasante Attacks Burton

There was a perpexing incident after Monday’s EDC meeting in which council member Michael Colasante loudly berated the committee’s newest member, Peter Burton.

“Once the meeting adjourned, he walked from the back of council chambers up to the front where I was speaking with others and came right up to me and started bloviating, basically,” Burton said.

Asked what might have provoked the attack, Burton said he didn’t know.

“Well, I’m not exactly sure. He said that I glared at him. As usual, he wouldn’t give specifics, so I’m left to guess. …

He clearly didn’t want to have a rational discussion. That’s what was really obvious. He wanted to speak and I know what it’s like when you’re supposedly speaking with two people, where one person wants to do all the talking and interrupts whenever you try to interject to figure out what’s going on. That was it with him, basically. It’s pointless when somebody doesn’t want to have a rational conversation.”