Select Board rejects Turgeon’s appointment to Disability Commission

Teri Turgeon is a longtime advocate for students with disabilities, served on the School Committee for a decade, and is the director of community programs for the Perkins School for the Blind.

She’s also one of the reasons why the Select Board chose to shut down the Q&A feature on Zoom.

Turgeon was rejected Tuesday night for a vacant spot on the town’s Disability Commission, 3-2, as Select Board members simultaneously praised her advocacy for people with disabilities while criticizing her onslaught of comments and questions during the board’s virtual meetings.

“Teri, your resume is impeccable and I think your life experience is impeccable as well,” Select Board member Mathew Often said. He added that he had felt “harassed” by Turgeon”s comments via Zoom in the past.

Select Board member Ed Prisby added that people steer themselves away from public service because of such criticism, something which he said played a role in his decision not to seek re-election this year.

“It’s one thing to be opinionated. it’s another to get a little bit abusive about it,” Prisby said,

But Select Board member Doreen DeFazio said Turgeon’s service to the community and extensive experience should be the deciding factor in the appointment.

“We are not going to find another person who brings such value to the commission,” she said, noting that this is Turgeon’s second bid to get a seat on the Disability Commission. “Can I promise that Teri won’t have an outburst if she serves on the commission? No.”

Select Board member Colleen Roy was taken aback by the idea that “outbursts” would be a cause of concern.

But Select Board Chair Peter Carlson, who served with Turgeon on the School Committee, said Turgeon’s support of students with special needs is without question.

Prisby, Often, and Roy voted against Turgeon’s appointment, while Carlson and DeFazio were in support. The vacancy remains on the Disability Commission.

Turgeon quietly left the Zoom session but later in the evening made a statement to Grafton Common: “I guess what I would say is this: it’s incredibly unfortunate for the disability community and the commission that leads this incredible work, that because of some hurt feelings and disagreements on behalf of the board of selectman and myself, they couldn’t appoint me, the most qualified and only applicant to do this work.

“I know that disagreement is part of our public service work and ensuring that everyone is part of the process,” she added.” It saddens me that because of this, I’m, most qualified, am not able to serve in this role, and advocate for Grafton residents with disabilities.”

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