Editor,
It appears to me Standish Town Manager Mr. Billington has some very serious ethical and conflict-of-interest problems in wearing two hats, one as our town manager and the other as a real estate developer.
To begin with, as the supervisor of the tax assessor, code officer, town planner and whomever else may have control over real estate development in our town, he has a direct conflict to promote his own private business. His wife, Mrs. Billington, as chair of both the planning board and comprehensive plan, also has a conflict of interest.
Being a town manager is a full-time job. Being a real estate developer is also a full-time job. There is no way Mr. Billington can be master of both. He should either give up his manager job or put his real estate development job on hold until he no longer has his town job.
He, as town manager, has a fiduciary duty to the people of Standish. We have put our trust and faith in him to look after our interests and not his own, or to use his job to further his own financial gain. It would be unethical to pursue his real estate development while keeping his job as town manager.
Peter Hassapelis
Standish
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