Push to Increase Board of Selectmen to 5 Members Gains Momentum

June 12, 2012, may go down as an historic date for the Town of Sudbury. That was the night Selectman Chair Larry O'Brien recused himself from any discussion regarding the Lavender license violation, where he and other members of the town stayed past the allowed serving hours.

After his recusal, the remaining selectmen — Bob Haarde and John Drobinski — argued whether Drobinski should also recuse himself since he admitted to being there for a short amount of time.

Nothing was resolved regarding that night at Lavender, prompting residents to call for an increase of selectmen from three to five to avoid future roadblocks. And if that increase happens during Special Town Meeting on Sept. 24, residents will point to that June 12 date as the turning point.

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"'Lavendergate' was the spark that set this off where the town was effectively paralyzed by the recusal of one selectman and the presence of two others who don’t agree," said resident Michael Troiano, who has spearheaded the efforts to increase the Board of Selectmen. "I think that caused some acute pain for some people. And frankly I think there have been other issues. Everything from the whole Johnson Farm, route: {:controller=>"articles", :action=>"show", :id=>"as-johnson-farm-hearing-closes-approval-teeters"} --> thing, to the