Philip Eliopoulos continues to position himself to control town policy by pulling the strings of town manager Paul Cohen. In addition to tailoring the new Master Plan to drive Chelmsford’s growth, Mr. Eliopoulos is now positioning himself in the driver’s seat for its implementation via appointment by Cohen to the “Master Plan Implementation Committee.”

www.chelmsfordmassnews.com/eliopoulos-tapped-for-new-master-plan-board-p2066-1.htm

It is patently obvious that Mr. Eliopoulos, a 12 year member of the Board of Selectmen and mentor to the current town manager, has too many conflicts of interest and too many personal ties to public officials to fairly and objectively serve the interests of the town; his ability to circumvent town bylaws and a Preservation Restriction to construct an enormous commercial property for his family’s benefit on our historic Village Green is a perfect example.

Please don't let Town Manager Paul Cohen get away with the ridiculous excuse that, "he (Eliopoulos) was the only Town Meeting member applicant." Mr. Cohen clearly did not take proper action to publicly apprise Town Meeting reps of the time frame for this, or even to assure that they all are aware that such an opening exists.

Our Town Manager never seems to get tired of flipping us off (and remember who is pulling his strings) and the Board of Selectmen never seem to get tired of cheering him on as he does it. Please let the Selectmen know that they need to stop acting as yes-men for Phil Eliopoulos and Paul Cohen. It’s time for them to assert their authority as Cohen’s superiors, cut the puppet strings to his former boss, Philip Eliopoulos, and demand that he make a better, and less "connected," appointment to this important committee.

Yours with best wishes and hope for the future of our town,

Roland Van Liew