Fred Thys
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Reporter @plyindependent Formerly @vtdigger @wbur @nbcnews @cnn @cbsnews @abc @jocupdates @masstransitmag
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Articles by Fred Thys
Reducing the costs of living tops agenda in Nov. 3 election
As the Nov. 3 election nears and early voting is in full swing, local political candidates are campaigning on everything from affordability to school busing. There are three local races on the ballot, two for state representatives and one for state Senate. In all three races, Democratic incumbents are running for re-election against Republican opponents. The Independent reached out to all six candidates to discuss the issues and their reasons for running.
Town Meeting warned of dire budget forecast
Select Board Chair Deb Iaquinto opened fall Town Meeting with a warning to members about a five-year budget forecast projecting growing deficits starting in the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2028. Her opening statements followed a presentation from town officials earlier in the week about the need to rein in a budget growing faster than expected revenue, a scenario they said will either call for increasing the property tax levy limit or considering painful cuts.
Derailed citizens’ petitions prompt tense debate
The barring of two citizens’ petitions as “out of order” at Town Meeting prompted a heated floor debate Saturday, with proponents arguing Town Moderator Steve Triffletti overstepped his authority in not allowing a vote. But Town Meeting members did approve one other citizens’ petition Triffletti allowed to the floor after a negotiated settlement last week.
One citizens’ petition will go to Town Meeting
At least one of the three citizens’ petitions ruled “out of order” for Saturday’s Town Meeting is back on the agenda after its supporters agreed to drop a late change to their original petition. Plymouth’s longtime Town Moderator Steve Triffletti had initially decided to bar all the citizens’ petitions on procedural grounds. On Wednesday, he said he has changed his mind on one and agreed to let it go forward.
Citizens’ petitions denied hearing at Town Meeting
Saturday’s Town Meeting could turn especially contentious after all three citizens’ petitions were barred from consideration as improper and out of order by Town Moderator Steven Triffletti. The citizens’ petitions call for increased transparency in the operations of Plymouth Municipal Airport, changes to neighborhood steering commissions, and changes in a proposal to stiffen setback regulations for some commercial developers.
Plymouth teenager gets probation in Harvard explosion
The Plymouth teenager who set off fireworks at Harvard Medical School on Halloween night was sentenced last week to three years of probation and ordered to pay about $28,500 in damages. Logan Patterson, now 19, and his friend Dominick Cardoza, now 21, of Bourne, agreed to plead guilty in March to tossing a large firework into a locker in a school building and running away.
Mayflower Brewing closing at year’s end
Plymouth’s oldest craft brewery is closing its doors at the end of the year, the latest casualty in a nationwide decline in the popularity of independent breweries. Mayflower Brewing Company, which was purchased last year by the owner of Orleans-based Hog Island Beer Company, will close its brewery and tasting room on Resnik Road on Dec. 31. It has been operating at the location since 2007.
Iaquinto scolds board for bad behavior
Select Board Chair Deb Iaquinto admonished her fellow board members Tuesday about their continued bickering from the dais, announcing a ban on them directly addressing each other at their weekly meetings. “We continue to make headlines that don’t reflect the actual work that we do for the people of Plymouth,” Iaquinto said at the beginning of Tuesday’s meeting, reading from prepared remarks. “We disagree passionately. We’re very good at that, and I expect us to continue to do that.
Select Board flaps continue despite conduct policy
Just a month after the Select Board passed its new conduct policy mandating civility on the dais, another episode of incivility erupted at this week’s meeting at West Elementary School. This time it was board member and lawyer Kevin Canty, who has a reputation as being more measured, who used a frustrated and disparaging tone against his fellow board member Bill Keohan.
Select Board backs delay of Pilgrim Hall grant funds
Town officials told their bosses on the Select Board Tuesday the town has doled out nearly $40 million in taxpayer-funded project grants over the last 23 years without the proper oversight and preservation restrictions. Although they took no vote, the board members who spoke supported Town Manager Derek Brindisi’s controversial position to withhold future grant payments until proper restrictions are in place.
Local primary races uncontested
Unlike hotly contested primaries two years ago, most races for seats in the state Senate and House to represent Plymouth on Beacon Hill are uncontested in Tuesday’s primary election. The incumbent, Dylan Fernandes, D-Falmouth, is running unopposed in the Democratic primary for State Senate, while Bourne school committee member Kari MacRae has no opponents on the ballot in the Republican primary. The same situation holds in Plymouth’s races for its two seats in the State House of Representatives.
Museum pushes back on Town Manager claims
The leader of Pilgrim Hall Museum says claims the museum has not done everything required to preserve the historic integrity of the downtown building are misguided and untrue. In an interview with the Independent on Wednesday, the museum’s executive director pushed back on allegations made last week by Town Manager Derek Brindisi, who said the museum operators are among dozens of historic grant recipients who have failed to record necessary historic preservation deed restrictions.
Downtown streetscape project gets state grant
A new $6 million project to make downtown Plymouth safer and more climate friendly could start before the end of the year after the Town recently received a state grant for half the improvements.
Mayflower Meetinghouse project reveals oversight failures
Millions of dollars in community preservation projects around town were completed over the past two decades despite a “systemic” failure to follow required steps designed to protect historic buildings and open spaces. As many as 40 publicly funded projects since 2000 were completed despite a failure to file the necessary historic preservation or other deed restrictions, Town Manager Derek Brindisi said in a recent interview with the Independent.
Judge orders Sheriff to release ICE detainee records
Plymouth County Sheriff Joseph McDonald was ordered this week to turn over to The American Civil Liberties Union records detailing medical treatment of hundreds of federal immigration detainees at the jail. The ruling by Suffolk County Superior Court Judge James Budreau rejected McDonald’s argument the public records should be withheld because his ongoing contract with the U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement prohibits their release.
Select Board votes 2-1 to euthanize aggressive pit bull
A politically fraught decision to euthanize a dog set off tempers on the town’s Select Board on Tuesday, with two members recusing themselves and a third voting no despite the pit bull terrier’s long record of aggressive behavior. In a rare case, the elected board was asked by town officials to affirm a decision to euthanize the dog after failed attempts by the town’s animal control officers to get the dog’s owner to address the concerns.
ICE protestors’ walk to end at Plymouth jail
Two Massachusetts teachers have spent the past week marching the length of Cape Cod to Plymouth to protest conditions for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility. “It’s something we’ve been passionate about for a while,” said Connor May, 33. He and Chris Tansey, 35, walked from Boston to Stockbridge in 2019 to protest the separation of immigrant families at the border.
‘Sticker Shock’ - Plymouth Independent
Forges Field, a network of meadows and playing fields forming Plymouth’s largest athletics facility, won’t likely get a planned expansion and overhaul after town officials were handed a whopping $92 million price tag. The proposal came in as part of a phased plan for a massive expansion and modernization of the sprawling complex over the next 9 years.
Healey’s nuclear plan hits snag
Gov. Maura Healey’s push to bring nuclear power plants back to the state was dealt a potentially fatal blow earlier this month when state senators voted overwhelming against her idea to take the decision away from voters. On July 1, the State Senate voted 32-8 to adopt a sweeping energy bill which keeps intact a 44-year-old requirement for a statewide referendum before any new nuclear power plant can be built.
Suffolk judge to decide on release of ICE detainee health care records
(This report has been edited to correct the spelling of Jessica Kenny’s name.) A civil liberties group asked a Suffolk County judge on Tuesday to force Plymouth County Sheriff to turn over records detailing the medical treatment of federal immigration detainees at the jail.
Construction around Jenney Pond to last all year
A few months behind schedule, the $20.9 million project to restore Town Brook near Jenney Pond and the Plimoth Grist Mill to something closer to a pristine state – where the river herring can run much as they did hundreds of years ago – is expected to finish by the Spring. As for now, the area remains a massive construction zone as workers complete the transformation. “I’m really excited,” said David Gould, the town’s director of energy and environment.
Select Board under fire on Landers deal
More than a dozen Cedarville residents showed up at the Select Board meeting Tuesday to vent disappointment at a recent board vote on a nearby land deal some said was fraught with conflict of interest, undue secrecy and a lack of integrity. The ire was directed at a June 9 vote clearing the way for Plymouth developer Matthew Sheridan to buy 138 acres of formerly protected land at Landers Farm Road to use a portion to build a housing development.
Move to oust Keohan from preservation post fails
(This version of the story has been edited to correct a factual error about a unanimous June 2025 vote on appointments taken by the Select Board. Minutes show David Golden left the meeting just prior to the vote. The Independent regrets the error.) A move to oust Select Board member Bill Keohan from his longtime role on the Community Preservation Committee failed this week by a 3-2 vote of the board, but not before more conflict-of-interest allegations were tossed around.
Transplant survivor writes book, plays guitar
Andrew Botieri bellows out a reporter’s name at the top of his lungs as the reporter drives up to Botieri’s West Plymouth condo. You would never know by the volume of his voice that Botieri, a wiry 67-year-old, is recovering from a double lung and kidney transplant. Botieri received his new lungs and kidney on Nov. 19. It was the first time Massachusetts General Hospital had performed a double lung and kidney transplant, he said.
Plan could help fund bussing costs
The town’s $6 million cost to take school kids to and from school each year could be getting a boost from taxpayers statewide next year under a new plan adopted unanimously by the state Senate. Under a budget amendment co-sponsored by State Sen. Dylan Fernandes, D-Falmouth, state lawmakers for the first time are considering the long miles Plymouth school buses must travel in the state’s largest town by area.
Status quo prevails
In the closely watched and very acrimonious Select Board race, which featured four candidates vying for two seats, Dick Quintal and Kevin Canty prevailed. They defeated challengers Betty Cavacco and Scott Vecchi. Quintal, a long-time veteran of the Select Board who has served a total of 21 non-consecutive years on the board, came in a close second in total votes with 4,092 votes to Canty’s 4,149, according to the unofficial results published late Saturday. Cavacco came in third with 3,520 votes.
Town sells Simes House for $40,000
The Select Board approved the sale of the historic Simes House in Manomet for $40,000, after spending nearly $4 million and several years in an unsuccessful effort to find permanent use for the 19th century home. The sale – to the operators of Manomet Bird Observatory – likely marks the end of town’s expensive, 15-year saga working to preserve the home.
Early voting is closed, but election day is Saturday
The annual town election is underway now, and concludes with in-person voting on Saturday, May 16. For everyone registered to vote, there’s still time to get up to speed. Here’s a final-days primer. Voters will elect two members to the five-member Select Board. There are four candidates running, including two incumbents. The winners will serve three-year terms. Read profiles of the candidates here. Read a story on their campaign spending here.
Select Board candidates spend thousands on campaigns
Once again, the Select Board race is an expensive one, with incumbent Kevin Canty receiving more in contributions than any of the other three candidates on the ballot, according to the latest campaign finance filings. The election ends Saturday, May 16, but early in-person voting began last week and continues through Wednesday. Mail-in ballots are also being accepted. Canty is running for one of two seats up for grabs on the five-member board. Both are for three-year terms.
Five candidates to fill two open seats on Schools Committee
The School Committee race in the May 16 annual town election is once again crowded this year. Five candidates are running in races for two seats. School Committee member Christine Bryant is running for re-election to a three-year term. She faces Lucca Betti, Michael Condry, Justin Fosdick, and Megan Parker. Voters can choose two candidates. Betti, 21, grew up in Plymouth. He dropped out of Plymouth North High School in his junior year but has since obtained his GED.
Four candidates for two open seats on Select Board
Signs have appeared saying “Can Canty”, referring to Select Board member Kevin Canty, who is running for reelection. Meanwhile candidate Scott Vecchi has targeted rival Betty Cavacco, using an AI-generated image depicting her in a prison suit behind bars, with the label “Betty the Crook.” Four people are competing for two seats in the May 16 town election. Dick Quintal and Canty are seeking re-election. They face two challengers: Vecchi and Cavacco. The winners will serve three-year terms.
Cavacco’s previous tenure at times tumultuous
In this year’s contentious race for the Select Board, Betty Cavacco is trying to reclaim a spot atop town government by touting her experience, her efforts to save taxpayers money, and a return to what she describes as a more collegial relationship on the five-member board.
The Philharmonic given 3-year deal at Memorial Hall
The Plymouth Philharmonic is now the official artist in residence at Memorial Hall by a unanimous vote of the Select Board on Tuesday. The Philharmonic asked for the partnership to reduce its costs of operating at Memorial Hall, which have nearly tripled since 2018. “What really threw us in the last year was a huge increase in security costs, said Paul Blanchard, a former member of the of the Philharmonic’s board of directors. Security costs were tripled “for no rational reason,” Blanchard said.
Afghan Teenager ordered released on bond
An Afghan teenager whose detention by federal immigration agents became a national story was ordered released Monday on $1500 bond from the Plymouth County Correctional Facility. “Rihan is coming home, and that is a win,” said Shawn VanDiver, president of Afghan Evac, a coalition of veterans, national security professionals, human rights advocates, and Afghans.
Town meeting codifies ICE restrictions, rejects Town Square rehab
By a narrow margin, Town Meeting members on Saturday voted to codify in-town law restrictions on police cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The hour-long ICE discussion was the culmination marathon spring gathering of Plymouth’s legislative body lasting 9 hours. The debate over an ICE bylaw, expected to be the most contentious part of Town Meeting, turned out to be civil.
Town Meeting to decide contentious issues
Saturday’s Town Meeting will focus on fiscal restraint, local immigration policy, and the timing of the twice-yearly gathering of 162 residents who will decide each issue. The session is set to begin at 8 a.m. Saturday at Plymouth North High School. On the table are decisions to spend up to $100,000 on July 4 and Thanksgiving celebrations, reducing health benefits for future town employees to save money, and a plan to spruce up Town Square.
Schools rehire private bus contractor until 2031
Plymouth Public Schools is signing up for another five years with First Student to provide yellow-bus transportation for students. The School Committee approved the contract by a unanimous 7-0 vote Monday. The contract begins in July and runs through fiscal year 2031. The $6 million a year the schools spend on yellow-bus transportation represents 9.3% of the total school budget. Among the reasons for the high costs are long bus routes in the largest town in Massachusetts, covering 104 square miles.
Proposal to revamp Town Square unveiled
Ambitious efforts to return Town Square to some of its former pedestrian-friendly charm were unveiled at this week’s meeting of the Select Board. Among the proposed enhancements include nine new trees, cobblestone pavement, and native landscaping, according to town planners. “It is probably the most historical longitude and latitude in North America,” said Select Board member Bill Keohan, considered the board’s history buff.
Badger seeks second term as State Representative
State Representative Michelle Badger is running for reelection. “It has been a true honor and privilege to serve the residents of the 1st Plymouth District,” said Badger in a press release. “I am seeking re-election to continue delivering responsive leadership and focusing on the issues that directly impact Plymouth residents.” If she wins the Sept. 1 Democratic primary, Badger would likely face Select Board Chair David Golden, who currently is running unopposed in the Republican primary.
The former site of Bert’s to become big-tent venue
There is a new plan for the old Bert’s site. The spot – finally demolished last year after years as a dilapidated wreck – has been leased by a Plymouth businessman who has big plans to turn the waterfront lot into a tent-style venue with a variety of offerings.
Keohan demands faster agenda consideration
Tensions between Select Board members erupted Tuesday when chair David Golden faced a mini revolt about his handling of the board’s agenda. After a heated exchange, the board voted 4-to1 – with Golden dissenting – to speed up certain items left off the agenda “for months.” The most visibly upset was member Bill Keohan, who demanded a debate on several items he said he has long been asking to put on the agenda.
Two youths reach plea deal in Harvard explosion
A Plymouth teenager and his friend from Bourne have agreed to plead guilty in a Halloween explosion involving fireworks at Harvard Medical School. Logan Patterson, of Plymouth, and Dominick Cardoza, of Bourne, each agreed to plead guilty to a single count of conspiracy to damage a building by means of fire and an explosive. According to the plea agreement, prosecutors have agreed not to ask for prison time. According to the charging document, at 2:33 a.m. Nov.
LaNatra seeks fifth term in state house
Democrat Kathy LaNatra is running for reelection to a fifth term as the state representative for the Plymouth 12th district, which includes downtown, North Plymouth, parts of West Plymouth, Kingston, Plympton, and parts of Halifax, Middleborough, and Pembroke.
Bill for last month’s blizzard: $2.5 million
The infamous blizzard of 2026 now has a price tag. Last month’s devastating storm cost Plymouth $2.5 million, Town Manager Derek Brindisi told the Select Board Tuesday night. The costs include everything from snow removal to the loss of a vehicle. A police cruiser was totaled in a collision under white-out conditions. A generator also failed, as did one of the two boilers in Memorial Hall. The town will be applying to the federal government for reimbursement for the boiler, Brindisi said.
The Farmhouse sells for $3.4 million
Paul Krasinski, who made news over various permitting and fire code controversies at his 9.7-acre compound known as The Farmhouse, has sold it for $3.4 million. Krasinski, the enigmatic brother of actor John Krasinski, famous for his role as Jim Halpert in the sitcom The Office, did not immediately return messages seeking comment. The Feb. 13 sale, first reported in The Boston Business Journal, fell well short of the asking price of $4.5 million.
The $6 million buses may prompt huge change
As the price of hiring private bus contractors to transport students through Plymouth’s sprawling geography exceeds $6 million per year, public school officials are considering taking over the service. It’s the first time Plymouth Public Schools officials have put so much consideration into such an enormous move, one which would put the burden on taxpayers to buy a fleet, hire drivers, and manage the new service.
Power restored, roads open
Five days after a historic storm blasted through Plymouth, paralyzing most of the town for days, officials on Friday announced reopenings and a slow return to normal. Schools are set to reopen Monday. Roads are open along with most businesses, and libraries are expected to open on Saturday, along with the Manomet Youth Center, the transfer station and town recreation programs.
TOWN DIGS OUT - Plymouth Independent
Four days after a historic storm with hurricane-force winds dumped nearly three feet of snow on Plymouth, residents and emergency workers were still struggling to dig out. Utility workers expected to restore power to 99% of customers by midnight; town inspectors were touring to make sure roads are passable, and essential businesses throughout Plymouth – from grocery stores to hardware stores – began to open.
Thousands remain without power days after storm
Three days after Monday’s powerful blizzard blanketed Plymouth with 30 inches of heavy snow, causing widespread power outages and stranding thousands of residents in their homes, a return to normalcy remained out of reach for many. Eversource crews on Wednesday continued working around the clock to restore service to thousands of customers still without power, while town public works employees and subcontractors logged long hours to make secondary roads navigable.
Blizzard blitz aftermath: Power outages, drifts, impassable roads
Plymouth began recovering Tuesday following Monday’s blizzard, which dropped 30 inches of snow, causing widespread power outages, creating massive drifts, and virtually paralyzing the town. Power was slowly being restored, with the downtown area getting up and running in the afternoon. But there was still a long way to go. Eversource reported that as of 4:37 p.m. Tuesday, 19,647 Plymouth customers were still without electricity – about 57 percent.
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