LAKEVILLE — Veteran town official Select Board member Richard LaCamera will not run for re-election, saying he was “disturbed and upset” at the public’s behavior at the most recent Special Town Meeting.

“There were a couple of situations that were disturbing to me,” LaCamera said of his decision not to run, specifically mentioning residents’ behavior during the Nov. 14, 2022 Special Town Meeting and regarding the potential purchase of the Lakeville Country Club.

“I have never seen anything like that in the Town of Lakeville,” LaCamera said about the Special Town Meeting. “I was very disturbed and upset at what was happening at that meeting. It was just atrocious with what people were saying, how they were accusing people, and what people were saying about the town clerk.”

Residents voted in favor of keeping town clerk as an elected position, rather than following outgoing Town Clerk Lilian Drane’s advice and making it an appointed position to attract better-qualified candidates. 

The public’s behavior caused LaCamera to feel “ashamed and embarrassed” due to residents questioning town officials’ motives behind a potential town clerk appointment.

In another controversial issue, LaCamera worked with Rhino Capital, the owners of the long-vacant Lakeville Hospital, for a year to develop a plan to demolish the abandoned buildings and build a warehouse on the site.

Voters passed a motion to prevent a Rhino representative from making a presentation on the project at Special Town Meeting and ultimately rejected the plan.

“It was a bad decision,” LaCamera said. The hospital has “been like that for 30 years.”

LaCamera resigned as Select Board chair on Nov. 22, 2022 — during the first Select Board meeting after Special Town Meeting — but maintained a position on the board.

“After that meeting, I said, ‘I’m not putting up with this anymore, I don’t want to be the chair of this board,’” LaCamera said. “People don’t understand what needs to be done, as far as town government is concerned.”

LaCamera did not support voters’ decision at the spring 2022 Town Meeting to purchase the Lakeville Country Club because he thought it was too expensive. He said he received threats over his opposition to the plan to such an extent that police officers had to watch his house when he went away on vacation.

“It was going to cost the taxpayers over $20 million to purchase the property,” LaCamera said. “I said, ‘no way am I supporting that.’”

He also expressed his concern about the lack of business development in town. The funds the town would receive from development projects would take part of the tax burden off residents.

New growth — money received from development projects in town — is projected to fall by around $190,000 from this year to next year, according to the town budget. It is projected to fall due to fewer issued building permits and development projects.

LaCamera said the town could use money from such projects to help pay for forthcoming expenses including a new fire station and the town’s portion of Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School’s renovations or new building.

With his work on the select board behind him, he said he looks forward to traveling and spending time with family.

“I’m going to be 75 years old,” LaCamera said. “I want to enjoy my time with my grandchildren.”