Billerica Select Board adjourns in standoff, chair refuses reorganization vote

BILLERICA -- May 23, 2025, Billerica Select Board special meeting collapses without leadership change after chairman refuses to recognize motions to unseat him. Chairman Michael Rosa, citing a same-day written opinion from town counsel, declined to recognize two motions by Selectman John Burrows to vacate the chair and install Selectwoman Jillian Pavidis, arguing the action required procedures under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 30A, Section 21A that had not been followed. Selectman Darris-O'Connor and Burrows, who called the special meeting under Section 7-10 of the Town Charter, countered that reorganizing a leadership position is not a removal and needs no separate process. Town counsel's opinion also found that a board investigative report had been released without a board vote and that an unnamed member had used the town seal on a personal Facebook page without authorization, risking fines under Chapter 268, Section 35. Pavidis ultimately moved to adjourn, telling the board, "We're embarrassing ourselves," and the motion carried 3-1 with one abstention, leaving the vice chair position vacant and the chair dispute unresolved.

Correction (Nov. 2, 2026): An earlier version of this story misspelled the names of Select Board members Jillian Pavidis and John Burrows and attributed a quotation to Chairman Michael Rosa that the recording does not attribute to him.