Several key volunteers have resigned from Plympton town committees in recent weeks, creating what one Board of Selectmen member describes as “a bit of a crisis right now in town government.”
The chair of Plympton’s Town Properties Committee, Jon Wilhelmsen, announced his resignation after serving for over 25 years. He submitted his resignation to the Board of Selectmen effective Sept. 8. It was the first announced resignation for a Board of Selectmen meeting that would accept three more.
During the Sept. 3 Town Properties Committee meeting, Wilhelmsen explained his decision: “I’ve always focused on doing what’s best for the town and setting up long-term improvements, not getting caught up in local politics. But lately, it seems impossible to avoid the political side of things.”
Wilhelmsen’s frustration stems from recent debates about a new fire station proposal and ongoing town hall renovations. He specifically called out the leadership style of Chairman Dana Smith, referencing a recent Board of Selectmen meeting. “If this were a paid job, I’d be looking for a new one,” Wilhelmsen added.
Defending the committee’s work on the fire station, Wilhelmsen emphasized their commitment to quality and doing projects right the first time.
Committee member Ross MacPherson weighed in, saying, “We’ve relied on the ‘Plympton helping Plympton’ approach for the station’s design and construction. Without that, we’re left with just what we’ve done so far.”
The committee has voted to appoint Mark Wallis as the new chair, though it would be short lived.
Town Administrator Liz Dennehy announced four resignations during the Sept. 8 Board of Selectmen meeting, noting that “these contributions will be sorely missed.”
The resignations include Wilhelmsen from both the Town Properties Committee and the Plympton Historical Commission, Linda Leddy from the Conservation Commission, Ross MacPherson from the Town Properties Committee, and new chair Mark Wallis from the Town Properties Committee.
Board member Mark Russo expressed concern about the broader implications of losing experienced volunteers. “I, to some extent, think that it’s kind of a bit of a crisis right now in town government to be losing all those people,” Russo said. “So we have, we talk about it all the time, but boy, do we need to be recruiting. And there’s a lot to protect in this town. And it’s those kind of people that do the protection.”
Wallis, who attended the meeting in person, voiced frustration with what he perceived as lack of support for committee work. “Very disappointed in the comments and the support that we were given as a town properties committee,” Wallis said. “I don’t feel that we were… We did a lot of hard work and I don’t think it was appreciated.”
Wallis, who served 30 years on the fire department and worked on the building committee for the library in addition to his town properties role, emphasized his long commitment to the community. “I’ve given a lot of my career to this town,” he said.
The departures leave the five-member Town Properties Committee with only two remaining members. The committee has received expressions of interest from new volunteers, but formal appointments have not yet been made.
Leddy’s departure from the Conservation Commission represents a particularly significant loss, according to Russo, who praised her extensive conservation work. “This seat, which was held by Linda Leddy for I’m not quite sure how long, many, many years, the work that Linda did kind of turned it into a full-time job,” Russo said. “The preservation of several hundred acres in three different parks or conservation areas, largely led by Linda along the way.”
The board appointed Molly Hutt Wardwell to fill Leddy’s position on the Conservation Commission, effective Sept. 8 through June 30, 2027.
Linda Wallis addressed the board about the pattern of resignations. “Being the wife of someone on that committee, realizing the amount of time and effort and energy that goes into looking out for the interests of town property, and having this constant negative feedback that really is demoralizing to the people that are actively trying to make things better,” Wallis said.
She urged the board to investigate the underlying causes when multiple resignations occur simultaneously. “When you have resignations come in, that you make an attempt to talk to those people who are resigning and find out what has prompted that resignation,” she said. “Because to have that many people from a committee resign at the same time is a siren. There’s something going on that needs to be addressed.”
The resignations come amid ongoing discussions about communication challenges between town committees and residents. Board Chair Dana Smith acknowledged that communication has been a persistent issue but emphasized efforts to improve transparency through video recording of meetings.
“Communication and lack thereof between the community not understanding what these projects are, I see things as a great stride by putting these meetings out there,” Smith said. “Now people can see that.”
Recreation Committee and Library Trustee member Becky Archambeault spoke about the challenges facing volunteers in the current environment. “It’s very disheartening when you’re sitting on boards… You’re a volunteer and, you know, when things hash out on Facebook the way they did over the fire station, it can be very frustrating when you’re giving your time and doing that work,” Archambeault said.
She suggested the town consider working with a recruiter to help identify and engage new volunteers. “Maybe we speak to some kind of a recruiter… how do we open up that scope and get more people involved?” Archambeault said.
The volunteer shortage extends beyond the committees experiencing resignations. The board also announced that Dottie Martel is taking a leave of absence from Council on Aging activities, requiring the appointment of Deborah Batson as interim representative to Old Colony Elder Services.
Wallis suggested the board consider scheduling some meetings in the evening to accommodate working residents who cannot attend daytime sessions. “Have you considered doing, you know, like one night a week, a month?” Wallis asked. “Alternating between two and evening ones so it opens it up to more people.”
The Town Properties Committee, which oversees maintenance and improvements to municipal buildings, currently has authority over facilities including the town hall, old town house, and other municipal properties. The committee’s reduced membership comes as the town faces ongoing building maintenance issues, including basement moisture problems at the town hall that require professional testing.