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IPSWICH — The attorney representing Ora has dismissed claims the company made legal threats against the husband of a planning board member.
At a meeting on Feb. 10, Chris Florio said he had been threatened with a lawsuit because he frequently spoke against the project while his wife, Helen Weatherall, is a member of the board.
Meanwhile, a member of the public has filed a complaint with the State Ethics Commission about Weatherall.
Florio has spoken in favor of a backup proposal from a group called the Friends of Waldingfield, which claims to have enough money to buy the estate at 55 Waldingfield Road. The property was last listed for sale in March of 2020 at $5,750,000.
Ora plans to put a corporate retreat on the land. It would add to the mansion, revamp the buildings and barns near the entrance on Waldingfield Road, and build a wellness center.
The project team has said it would require 90 parking spaces at the facility when everything is complete.
On Florio’s claims, Ora’s attorney Richard “Chip” Nylen of Ipswich said, “There was a very serious allegation that was made by a member of the public.”
“It’s baseless. I don’t know this person. I am the attorney representing Ora in front of you,” he told the planning board Feb. 17.
Nylen said he never met Florio and never threatened him. “It would be senseless. He has a right to speak,” Nylen said.
However, on the allegation, he added, “He stated it at a public meeting, and it was repeated in the newspaper. I can’t just leave it out there.”
State complaint
Resident Joni Soffron said there is a potential conflict while Florio continues to speak in favor of the Friends of Waldingfield while his wife will vote on Ora’s proposal.
After Soffron first complained on Feb. 10, planning board chairwoman Carolyn Britt asked town manager Anthony Marino and town counsel George Hall for advice.
Reading a statement from Marino last week, Britt said the attorney did not believe there was a state ethics violation.
If people were concerned, they could file with the State Ethics Commission, which deals primarily with complaints related to finances, she added.
Britt said Marino also reminded board members about the town’s social media policy. All town board and committee members were told “to proceed with the utmost caution,” she said.
Soffron said she would pursue the issue at the state level.
After Britt finished reading the comments from Marino, Weatherall said she also had a statement on the issue.
“Let’s just go with what counsel said,” Britt replied.
