by Lenny Mirra
Former Mass.State Rep.
IPSWICH, Mass. – Dan Kelly of Ipswich has filed a written complaint with the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF), asking the agency to review contributions reported by the Committee to Elect Kristin Kassner during Kassner’s 2022 campaign for state representative. According to Kelly, “Kristin Kassner, while serving as the Town of Burlington’s paid Planning Director and advisor, took contributions from large real estate developers and their counsel at the same time she was overseeing and recommending large developments proposed by these developers to the Burlington Planning Board. That’s against the law.”
Kelly is the Republican candidate for state representative in the Second Essex District. He is challenging Kristin Kassner, the two-term Democratic incumbent from Hamilton.
Kelly’s Complaint asks OCPF to review direct contributions during this transition period by executives with Nordblom and The Gutierrez Company, along with attorney Robert C. Buckley.
These contributions were made while Kassner served as the Town of Burlington’s compensated, full-time planning director. During the same time, Robert C. Buckley was representing Nordblom Company and The Gutierrez Company, two large real estate developers, in pending matters before the planning board, for which Kassner, in her capacity as planning director, reviewed applications, advised the planning board, worked on conditions and mitigations, and made recommendations which resulted in, according to Kelly, “favorable treatment” to Buckley’s
clients by the board.
He cited M.G.L. 55, Section 13, which states that candidates cannot accept a contribution from a person whom the employee knows or has reason to know has an interest in a particular matter in which the employee participates, has participated, or has official responsibility.
Kelly states “When Kristin Kassner ran against Lenny Mirra in 2022, she heavily criticized the MBTA Communities Act (3A) and Chapter 40B, two major statutes which allow developers to come into our communities by right and build huge developments without Planning Board review. Since she was elected, Kassner has done nothing to change or modify 3A or 40B; rather, she is the leading proponent for more top-down, by-right zoning, giving developers more freedom to bring large developments to our towns. Instead of putting the interests of the people first, she puts her donors first. It is time for a change.”
