NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The controversies stewing at the Airport Commission bubbled over to City Council on Tuesday night with a councilor demanding an investigation and the subject of a failed lease agreement claiming conflicts of interest and mayoral tampering.

 

The spark was an agenda item appointing Doug Herrick of Williamstown to fill the term of one of two commissioners who resigned after a vote to enter into a lease agreement with airport user Michael Milazzo and Brian Doyle for the Northeast Hangar back in October. That vote was rescinded in December after a letter from Mayor Jennifer Macksey called the process into question, particularly noting the recommendation by a subcommittee to reject Milazzo's proposal and concerns from the inspector general's office.  

 

Milazzo and Doyle are involved in civil lawsuits around the hangar going back to 2019 as both a plaintiffs and defendents with former hangar owners and Milazzo is accused of damaging the structure, to the point it was taken over by the city and restored at a cost of more than $750,000. 

 

City Councilor Peter Breen repeatedly called for an investigation into the commissioners' resignations, pointing to the reasons given by Michael McCarron in his email in November. Herrick would fill his term. 

 

"It says that it is the unexpired term of Mike McCarron, my understanding, after reading his email, that he said that he's resigning because the city official is telling him how to vote," he said. "I think we should send this to committee to investigate why we would have a commissioner be forced to make a vote."

 

Breen, the council's liaison to the commission, also referred to an email by Airport Manager Bruce Goff describing the situation and raised concerns about federal and state laws being broken. 

 

"There are two investigations going on now. And then there is a third one, because it's $750,000 worth of grant money from the federal government," he said.