By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD – Annual Town Meeting wrapped up business Thursday night as voters in attendance took two hours to handle the five articles left over from Monday’s opening session.
Article 19, the final article on the warrant, prompted the evening’s most contentious discussion over its aims to force Wakefield to boycott Israel and any business or agency having ties Israel.
But before that, voters had some actual town business to deal with, starting with Article 15.
The Zoning Board of Appeals sponsored Article 15 and ZBA Chairman Thomas Lucey made the motion and the presentation.
Lucey explained that Article 15 related to the ZBA’s 2022 decision to grant a Special Permit to Cabot Cabot & Forbes allowing the construction of 440 residential units and a restaurant in three buildings at the head of the Lake.
He noted that the ZBA’s decision included several conditions aimed at improving the water quality of Lake Quannapowitt, preserving open space and guaranteeing public access and amenities at the head of the Lake.
One condition required the developer to provide $1.3 million to the town for storm water infrastructure to treat runoff and reduce contaminants entering the Lake. Another condition required part of the property to be preserved for open space and conservation purposes. A further provision guaranteed public and pedestrian access to a portion of the property. A final condition would allow the Wakefield Police Department to maintain a satellite public safety office on the property at no charge.
Lucey explained that these legal instruments required Town Meeting authorization.
After a brief discussion, Town Meeting approved Article 15.
Article 16 pertained to the improvement and reconfiguring of the intersection of Farm Street and Hemlock Road in conjunction with the construction of the new high school. The plan includes the creation of a roundabout at the intersection. The article also involved taking a small piece of land at the corner of Hemlock Road and Farm Street currently used by the school that will become part of the new roadway.
After a short discussion, Article 16 passed by a vote of 104-7.
Article 17 called for Town Meeting to amend the Zoning Bylaws related to the floodplain district in a manner that will allow the town to remain in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Flood Insurance Program.
Wiley Street resident Paul DiNocco said that he lives along a river in the floodplain district. He urged Town Meeting to approve Article 17 so that homeowners in the floodplain district would not have to go out and get private insurance that would cost three times as much as the federal government program.
Town Meeting voted unanimously to approve Article 17.
Article 18 sought to remove the town’s existing bylaw related to accessory dwelling units and replace it with a new bylaw that complies with the state’s 2024 Affordable Homes Act.
Senior Town Planner Samantha Elliot explained that the new state law allowing accessory dwelling units without a Special Permit is already in effect. The proposed change to the local bylaw under Article 18, she said, would simply give the town a measure of control. She noted that the goal is to promote year-round housing and prohibit short-term rentals.
Deborah Fox of Allyssa Drive insisted that Town Meeting had once voted to prohibit short-term rentals like Airbnb, but it was never enforced. Scot McCauley of Walden Road also remembered Town Meeting voting to prohibit Airbnb’s.
But Town Administrator Stephen P. Maio recalled that a bylaw to regulate Airbnb’s in town was voted down by Town Meeting about 10 years ago.
Outlook Road resident Brian McGrail said that Maio was correct, noting that an article to legalize and regulate Airbnb’s came before Town Meeting in 2015 but was voted down.
Daniel Lieber of the Bylaw Review Committee pointed out that, while Airbnb’s are currently not permitted in Wakefield, Article 18 would go a step further and explicitly prohibit the short-term rentals.
Town Meeting voted in favor of Article 18.
Article 19 sought to prevent Wakefield from doing any business with Israel or with any company or entity with ties to Israel, based on allegations of “genocide” and other human rights offenses leveled against Israel.
As soon as Town Moderator William Carroll announced Article 19, Town Councilor John Carney made a motion to move the question. But Carroll said that Carney’s motion could not be made until there had been a motion and presentation on the article.
Marco Sukkar of Galvin Circle made the motion on Article 19. In his presentation, he said that the article was about how the town uses its money to enable human rights violations and genocide in the Middle East.
Sukkar denied that the article singled out Israel, although the words, “Prohibition Against Using Town Resources to Enable Violations of Human Rights and International Law by Israel,” appeared in boldface in the text of Article 19 and no other countries were named as targets of the article.
Sukkar spoke of Palestinians killed by Israeli bombs as well as to Israel’s blockade of food and other aid to Gaza.
Daniel Lieber of Elm Street spoke against Article 19, noting that the article “seeks to harm ourselves and the people of Israel” while doing nothing to bring about the release of hostages held by Hamas.
Lieber observed that Article 19 was rooted in the “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions” (BDS) movement. He called the BDS movement “inherently antisemitic” because it seeks the destruction of the Jewish homeland of Israel.
He called Article 19 “inappropriate” for Town Meeting and made a motion for indefinite postponement.
Carroll then warned that discussion must now be focused only on the motion for indefinite postponement.
Haley McHatton Ballou of Forest Street said that she opposed indefinite postponement, accusing Lieber of “silencing free speech.” She claimed that she had stood up to speak first on the article but Leiber had “cut the line.”
Based on her claim, Carroll allowed Ballou to speak on the merits of the article.
Ballou echoed that claim that Article 19 did not single out the Jewish community. She said that residents should have a say in where their money goes and asked why anyone would want their money going to enable human rights violations.
After Carroll opened the door by allowing Ballou to speak on the merits of the article, Lena Feldman of Holland Road attempted to speak against Article 19, but Carroll insisted that further discussion must be limited to the motion for indefinite postponement.
James Cerrone of Oak Street opposed indefinite postponement, calling it “unconscionable” to prevent discussion on the issues raised in Article 19.
In the end, Town Meeting voted overwhelmingly in favor of Lieber’s motion to indefinitely postpone Article 19.
At 8:58 p.m., Town Council Chair Mehreen Butt made a motion to dissolve the 2025 Annual Town Meeting with special thanks to Steve Maio for 17 years of service as Town Administrator.