Democrat Don Mitchell, who has served on the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) for the past four years, has been elected as chairman of that agency, which has five regular members and three alternates.

On January 18, Mr Mitchell, an attorney who practices land use law, won the chairmanship in a 3-2 vote which split along party lines.

Mr Mitchell replaced Republican Robert Mulholland as chairman. Mr Mulholland headed the panel for the past four years.

In the November elections, the Democratic Party gained majority status on the eight-member P&Z for the first time in memory. The Democrats now hold three regular seats and two alternate seats on the panel. The Republicans hold two regular seats and one alternate position.

The P&Z voting for officers on January 18 broke a standing 3-3 deadlock vote for the chairmanship between Mr Mitchell and Mr Mulholland, which had occurred in initial P&Z voting on January 11.

Voting in favor of Mr Mitchell on January 18 were Mr Mitchell and Democrats Barbara Manville and Corinne Cox.

Voting in favor of Mr Mulholland for another one-year term were Mr Mulholland and Republican Jim Swift.

Based on the legal advice of Town Attorney David Grogins, only regular P&Z members were eligible to vote for chairman at the January 18 session.

However, at the P&Z's January 11 meeting, which was before that legal opinion had been provided, the five regular and two alternate members who were present at the meeting were allowed to vote. Both Mr Mitchell and Mr Mulholland were nominated for the chairmanship that night, with Mr Mitchell receiving votes from himself, Ms Manville, and Democratic alternate member Margot Snellback. Mr Mulholland received votes from himself, Mr Swift, and Republican alternate Roy Meadows.

Although urged that night to cast a ballot for chairman, Ms Cox declined to do so. Ms Cox then said, "I think we have two great men," and opted not to vote for either man.

Mr Mulholland, who has served on the P&Z for about 14 years, had told P&Z members on January 11, "I'd like to continue [as chairman] for one more year."

Customarily, a member of the political party that has majority control of a commission serves as its chairman.

An exception to that was the past P&Z chairmanship of Democrat Lilla Dean, who headed the panel for many years, although the Republican Party then held majority control.

In other voting on January 18, the P&Z reelected Mr Swift to another one-year term as vice chairman and elected Ms Manville as its secretary.

Ms Snellback, who was elected as a Democratic P&Z alternate in the November 2017 elections, has resigned her post because she has moved from town. The Democratic Party is expected to select a person to be appointed to fill the alternate member vacancy created by Ms Snellback's departure.