Editor’s note: To help voters make informed choices in the Sept. 3 Democrat and Republican state primaries, the Plymouth Independent reached out to all the candidates seeking to represent Plymouth in the House of Representatives and Senate. We focused on contested races, but plan another story before the general election in November. The deadline to […]
Category: Government
Posted inGovernment
Sound solution: Select Board, restaurant owner reach agreement on outdoor music
Erin Murphy will be able to offer amplified outdoor live music at her downtown restaurant after all, but it will be on the back deck, not out front as she initially requested. After two charged meetings of the Select Board last month that ended with the board denying her a permit, Murphy and Select Board […]
Posted inGovernment
Online portal allows residents with disabilities to cast e-ballots in September primary
With the state primary just around the corner of the calendar – it’s on Sept. 3 – the town is urging voters to take advantage of the state’s Accessible Electronic Voting System. It allows voting access for people who can’t physically use a paper ballot because of blindness, vision impairment, mobility or dexterity issues, or […]
Posted inGovernment
Exit interview: Former Planning Board member says taxpayers need to be more engaged
Birgitta Kuehn is concerned about the direction of Plymouth’s Planning Board – especially now that she no longer serves on it. Kuehn has moved to Chicago to follow her husband, who has taken a new job there. It is a return to her hometown of sorts, as she grew up in Oak Park, Illinois, […]
Posted inGovernment
Community Preservation Committee recommends spending taxpayers’ money to improve White Horse Beach access
A key town committee has given its support to using taxpayers’ money to create more access to White Horse Beach and to former cranberry bogs, as well as for funding affordable housing across the street from the library on South Street. The Community Preservation Committee Thursday night voted unanimously to recommend buying six properties at […]
Posted inGovernment
Planning Board’s Kuehn steps down
Birgitta Kuehn, an at-times embattled member of the Plymouth Planning Board, has resigned, following a move to Chicago. Kuehn broke the news to the board Wednesday night via Zoom and submitted her resignation to Town Clerk Kelly McElreath on Thursday. Kuehn served on the board for five years. She was chair until fellow board members […]
Posted inGovernment
Firefighter accused of secretly recording his ex-girlfriend may face new charges after motorcycle crash
A Plymouth firefighter on paid leave since November after being accused of secretly video recording his ex-girlfriend in the nude is likely facing new criminal charges after he slammed his motorcycle into a utility pole in a late-night accident. Richard Pimental, 31, suffered serious injuries when he allegedly veered off Summer Street onto the […]
Posted inGovernment
Restaurant’s pitch for outdoor music denied after heated exchange between owner and Select Board member
Erin Murphy was hoping to add amplified outdoor music to the menu for three more nights this summer at her “modern Baja cuisine” restaurant. Instead, she found herself fighting back tears as the Select Board Tuesday denied her request during a contentious 30-minute exchange that mostly pitted her against board member Charlie Bletzer. Murphy, the […]
Posted inGovernment
Makepeace proposal to add more higher priced homes at Redbrook divides Planning Board
Developer A.D. Makepeace wants to build 113 more market-rate-priced homes at its Redbrook housing development in South Plymouth, a proposal that is not sitting well with some Planning Board members. The company maintains that a Plymouth bylaw allows it to build more higher priced homes even though its agreement with the town when the massive […]
Posted inGovernment
Town’s director of inspectional services resigns
Nick Mayo, Plymouth’s director of inspectional services, handed in his resignation Monday, a departure that comes amid an unprecedented building boom. Town Manager Derek Brindisi declined to give a reason for Mayo’s unexpected resignation. “That’s a question for him,” he said. Mayo did not immediately respond to a voice mail requesting comment on why he […]