By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — The war continues.
Tensions ran incredibly high between the town-appointed Historical Commission and a dozen Lynnfield Historical Society members during an April 19 meeting. The latest chapter in the on-going feud between the commission and the Society surrounded several disputed items that are currently in the town’s possession.
Historical Commission Chairman Kirk Mansfield said Society President Ron Sarro recently requested to talk about the list of disputed items at a commission meeting.
“They wanted to talk about the items without the use of town counsel and their attorney,” said Mansfield.
Mansfield said Historical Commission member Abby Kilgore made a motion at a March meeting that sought to discuss the disputed items at the April meeting.
“I reminded her that we are not supposed to be talking about anything when it’s being represented by counsel,” said Mansfield. “She amended the motion to ask the commission to go to the town, and ask if it could be put on the agenda without going through the attorneys. We are very happy to listen to the comments, but we are not going to engage in a debate about each individual item. If there are any receipts or proof about these items, you can submit them to Town Administrator Rob Dolan or Assistant Town Administrator Bob Curtin. That will go over to Town Counsel Tom Mullen, and it will be up to him to decide what is going on. If there is any type of receipt or documents about the item that proves ownership, the item will be handed over.”
Mansfield also said the Society believes there are items that are missing that belong to the nonprofit organization. He said town officials have requested the Society to provide more information about where they believe the items are located.
“You need to submit that to Rob and Bob,” said Mansfield.
Sarro said he brought the dozen Society members to the Historical Commission meeting as part of “an overly aggressive plan to end” the dispute.
“We will get rid of our lawyer as long as we keep the lines of communication open,” said Sarro. “We got a lawyer in the first place because the town would not talk to us. We should be able to get the low hanging fruit tonight. If we can’t get a complete resolution, then let’s at least knock off as many items as we can. I just want to get rid of the lawyers. Atty. Mullen has better things to do. I don’t want to use our lawyer anymore either. I don’t understand why we can’t resolve all of this right now.”
Sarro said the Society has photographic evidence of the disputed items.
Mansfield said Sarro can turn the photographs over to the town.
“If you want to get rid of the attorneys, then have that letter submitted,” added Mansfield. “The town will then come to us about how everything is moving forward.”
Sarro asked if the Historical Commission will negotiate in “good faith” with the Society.
“Yes,” said Mansfield. “You just have to go through them to start the process. They don’t want us to be deliberating.”
Sarro kept reiterating the Society wanted the dispute settled during the meeting. He asked if he could poll each commissioner about the request.
“No,” said Mansfield. “This is not a debate.”
The meeting began descending into chaos when an angry Sarro accused Mansfield of “not being interested in the truth.”
Historical Society Treasurer Bob Gillon demanded that another member of the commission address the matter.
“Everybody here is a puppet,” said Gillon. “Forgive me for saying that, but I never hear anybody else say anything regarding the town matters. It’s all Kirk Mansfield. And if people choose not to speak, they are not representing the town.”
Mansfield said Dolan told him about the course of the action moving forward.
Sarro proposed that the Historical Commission and the Historical Society form a joint committee that would be tasked with reviewing the disputed items.
“This is crazy,” said Sarro. “This is our property and all we want is our property back. You got the Meeting House, which is questionable because of the (1960) Town Meeting vote. You evicted us from the Historical Centre, which was not done appropriately, but you had every right to throw us out. What you don’t have a right to do is keep our property, and that is what you are trying to do right now. Let’s settle this tonight.”
The town severed its relationship with the Historical Society in August 2021 due to the nonprofit organization’s 501(c)(3) nonprofit status getting revoked in September 2011 and failing to file tax returns. The town also severed its relationship with the Society because the nonprofit organization was overseeing the Meeting House without going through a public bidding process, which is required by Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 30B. The town evicted the Historical Society from the Pope-Richard Lynnfield Historical Centre last fall.
Mansfield reiterated that Sarro can send the information to Dolan and Curtin.
“This is a lame excuse for you trying to keep our property,” said an angry Sarro in response. “At this point, this is turning into grand larceny. This is not good government.”
An infuriated Gillon said the Society should have been informed before the meeting that the disputed items were not going to be discussed.
“You could have called somebody and said, ‘We are not going to discuss your property tonight,’” said Gillon. “That is the MO (modus operandi) of the town administrators and you. You change meetings without telling people.”
Mansfield said the Historical Commission does not change meeting agendas.
Gillon suggested that the disputed items matter be placed on the agenda for the Historical Commission’s May meeting, and that a town official be present for the discussion. Curtin was supposed to attend the meeting, but he did not show up until it adjourned because of a prior commitment.
Sarro accused Mansfield of “blaming things on Dolan” to “cover up” what he called Mansfield’s “lies.”
Historical Society member Rick Foulds, who lives in another state, accused the Historical Commission of giving a tea set to the Centre Club. He claimed that it belonged to the Society.
“It may belong to the Centre Club, but there is no evidence they own it,” said Foulds. “How is a decision made that that piece of contested property was given to the Centre Club without discussion? According to your response, you gave it to the Centre Club after receiving permission from Mr. Dolan. But Mr. Dolan knew nothing about it. There is something terribly wrong with that response.”
Mansfield said the Centre Club informed him they owned the tea set and wanted it back. He said Dolan told him in an email he could return it to the club.
Foulds also claimed that a dollhouse was in the town’s possession and it belonged to the Society.
Sarro accused Mansfield of refusing to return the items because he wants to “destroy” Gillon and his wife, Linda, who previously served as the Society’s president.
“You are trying to destroy these good people,” said Sarro.
A frustrated Mansfield made a motion to adjourn the meeting, which was seconded by Historical Commission member John Michalski. The motion was unanimously approved.
“Shame on you,” said a woman in attendance.