Fact Check


*The Independent Party has some members on the Town Council, what have they been able to do?

The Independent Party has only 3 of 9 seats on the Town Council, so they have been outvoted on many issues, including reasonable fees for the golf course and appointments to boards and commissions. Our candidates need to win a majority of the seats on the council to make meaningful changes.


*Have the Independent Council members been able to influence the Republican members of the Town Council?

No. The Republican members of the Town Council meet before the Town Council meetings and decide how they will vote. Then they vote in one block without discussing their rationale or listening to other points of view.


*Doesn’t the Independent Party do the same thing?

No. We selected the best and brightest people and encourage them to vote according to what they believe is in the best interest of Watertown. Individuals provide them with input, but the party does not tell them how to vote.


*How many people did the Independent Party appoint to Boards and Commissions?

Unfortunately, even though you elected the Independent Party as your minority party, the Republicans and Democrats worked together to make sure you did not get the representation you elected. They gave all the open minority positions on boards and commissions to the Democrats in 2010 and about half of the open minority positions to the Democrats in 2011. We were only able to fill 7 positions.


*Wasn’t this illegal?

No. The laws are written assuming there is one majority party and one minority party. What the Republicans and Democrats did may be unethical, but it was not illegal.


*Is the Independent Party the Anti-Development Party?

No. The Independent Party is the Smart Development Party. We support development that provides a financial benefit to the Town.


*Isn’t everybody in favor of that?

Yes, but not everyone agrees on which developments will provide a positive contribution to our tax base. The Independent Party makes that determination based on facts and studies. The Republicans and Democrats are less concerned with objective evidence.


*What has the Independent Party done to promote smart development?

Independent party supporters raised $500 and submitted an application to Planning and Zoning to permit medical buildings to be built anywhere in the business park. Unfortunately, P&Z wanted to limit the medical buildings, so they rejected the application.


*Is it true that the Independent Party is responsible for all the lawsuits against Planning and Zoning?

No. Problems with Planning and Zoning have been occurring over the last several years. In 2009, when citizens filed complaints against P&Z, the Town Council voted to not hear the evidence. Instead, they passed an ordinance that makes it difficult for citizens to file complaints and protects the members of P&Z from removal from office. Now, when there are problems with Planning and Zoning, citizens must file lawsuits to get relief.


*But aren’t members of the Independent Party filing the lawsuits?

Some of them are. P&Z placed illegal requirements on 2 developments submitted by Independent Party supporters while waiving all fees and requirements for developments that 2 Republicans submitted. In all instances, P&Z was warned that their actions were illegal, but they proceeded anyway. Some individuals joined the Independent Party after being harmed by P&Z.


*I hear that the lawsuits are being filed to delay developments. Is that true?

No. The lawsuits were filed to correct a wrong. Three lawsuits have been decided by the courts so far, and P&Z has lost all of them. In 2, the court expressly stated that P&Z exceeded their authority.


*What are the courts finding?

In the Hard Rock and Masi lawsuits, the court said that P&Z ignored their own experts and put illegal and arbitrary conditions on the developments. The court also said that 2 members of P&Z had conflicts of interest and should have recused themselves.


*What about the Route 262 lawsuit. Is it true that P&Z won?

No. P&Z thought they had created a floating zone so no one was impacted. The court found that P&Z had actually changed the zone. As a result, citizens near the zone change were directly impacted according to state law and could challenge the zone change.


*What is the issue with the Route 262 retail development?

The Route 262 regulations were approved without requiring studies to show the impact of the proposed development on Watertown. Since the evidence before P&Z showed this development could be expensive and harmful to the town, this irresponsible departure from our normal process caused people to question why it was done this way and whether conflicts of interest impacted the decision.


*What are the potential conflicts of interest?

Richard Fusco is on the Town Council. He owns Route 262 property that he wants to sell for big box retail development. Gary Martin is Richard Fusco’s son-in-law and serves on the Planning and Zoning Commission.


*Aren’t people prevented from voting on issues where they have a conflict of interest?

Each person decides for themselves whether he or she has a conflict and should vote on an issue. However, the law defines a conflict as having a personal or financial interest in a matter before the board.


*How did people with potential conflicts get on the boards and commissions?

People are nominated by their respective political parties and appointed to boards and commissions by the Town Council.