Stoughton Select Board Tables Assessors Inspector Vote, Cites Legal and Authority Conflicts

Select Board · Meeting of July 14, 2026

Stoughton Select Board tables assessor inspector vote and unanimously moves a town memorial. The board declined to vote on a proposal to designate Board of Assessors member Paul Giannacoulis — a licensed residential appraiser with nearly 20 years of experience — as a special municipal employee under Massachusetts conflict-of-interest law, which would have allowed him to be paid on a per-inspection basis to address a backlog of state-mandated cyclical property inspections. Town Counsel Alex Castro, appearing remotely for the firm of Brian Winters, said only the Section 20D exemption could apply, requiring a board vote to designate the assessors' position itself as a special municipal employee position.

Select Board member Deborah Roberts opposed the measure, citing a prior precedent in which a similar exemption for a person named Danielle Justo was denied, and saying she did not want to cede appointment authority. Town Manager Tom Calter warned that if Giannacoulis resigned from the assessors' board to sidestep the conflict, the town would be left with one assessor — too few to conduct official business. The chair directed the town manager to meet with Director of Assessing Steve Dunn and town counsel before rescheduling the item.

In a separate 4-0 vote, the board approved the temporary relocation of Albert N. DiStefano Square to accommodate an active building and engineering project on Fano Drive.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 2,446 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of July 14, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.