LETTER: Reader Disappointed In Wilmington Select Board, Offended By Remark About Shawsheen Tech

Dear Editor,

This is one of the most disappointing letters to the editor I think I will ever have to write. Honestly, after the last Selectboard meeting, I said to myself, “It’s just not worth saying anything more than I already have.” But, in true Wilmington Selectboard fashion, they asked me to “hold their beer,” and an absolutely absurd statement was uttered out loud, denigrating hundreds of Wilmington students and families.

The track record of this Selectboard is nothing short of laughable. As a reminder, one member was captured on video telling a resident, “Go f**k yourself,” an incident that drew international media attention and was reported by outlets from India to the UK. Only a few weeks ago, this same board member went on to call a respected chairperson of our Historical Commission a “child” during an open Selectboard meeting, following an outburst toward the chair of the board over a statement that, based on the available video, he did not make. But as some would say, this is water under the bridge, right?

Going back to September 2025, Selectboard members DePalma, Maselli, and Gearwar stated words to the effect that their decision had already been made during discussions over the Buzzell School. We now know that decision was to tear the building down. This decision was made notwithstanding the majority of respondents to the town survey who said the public wanted to save the building.

Then, at the Special Town Meeting, where some 225 people showed up to vote on saving or demolishing the Buzzell, even though the Selectboard and Town Manager scheduled the meeting on a freezing Thursday night, rather than the Saturday timing typically used for Special Town Meetings, and on the same evening as CCD classes and parent-teacher conferences in the schools—decisions that significantly reduced the likelihood of broad public participation—the “save the building” side won overwhelmingly. Yet these very Selectboard members continue to claim they have the power not only to demolish the building but said they did not respect the will of that Town Meeting “because not a lot of people showed up.” Have you ever heard of this amount of disdain for the public by elected officials?

Now the kicker. At last night’s Selectboard meeting (WCTV 46:10), Selectboard member DePalma stated, “In my opinion, Wilmington Schools come first, then we can address anything with the Tech.” Are you a parent of a Tech student? I’m a graduate of Shawsheen Tech, and I have always considered my high school diploma a part of the Wilmington school system. I’m saddened to hear of Mr. DePalma’s diminished opinion of those Wilmington students in the Tech, especially when the Town Manager reported that 21% of the Tech comes from Wilmington. Based on these statements, Tech students appear to be treated as less of a priority. It is difficult to understand how an elected official tasked with representing the entire community could make such a remark.

We are now in a time where our elected officials feel so comfortable in their positions that they can insult an entire class of families that chose an alternative form of education than the traditional high school education. Further, they are so comfortable in the fact that they believe they know better than the public that, if they don’t like what Town Meeting votes on, they will rely on Town Counsel to argue that Town Meeting does not have authority over the particular matter. They can also act like spoiled children when they don’t like what a voting member of the public says in a public meeting.

Elections are coming up very soon. Remember the behavior of these elected officials when you cast your vote. Is this who you want representing you? Your town?

Rob Fasulo