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Select Board asks town counsel to confer with Mission MA receiver as cannabis license questions continue
Summary
Select Board directed town counsel to meet the newly appointed receiver for Mission Massachusetts to clarify whether the host community agreement and local license obligations remain in force and to report back with options; board members raised the possibility of seeking license return if reopening is unlikely.
The Select Board voted July 1 to authorize Town Counsel to meet with the court‑appointed receiver handling Mission Massachusetts’ affairs and to report back with options for the board to consider regarding the company’s Brookline license.
Jonathan Simpson, First Assistant Town Counsel, said the town has received notice that Mission’s corporate parent is in receivership and that the receiver has 45 days to issue an initial report. Counsel told the board the receiver is not automatically bound by private agreements unless the receiver affirms them in writing, a point the board said required clarification because the town relies on the host community agreement (HCA) as part of local licensing oversight.
Chris Wimmer, in‑house counsel for Mission/Forefront, said the receiver listens to the company and is actively evaluating options, including sale of Massachusetts assets. Wimmer said Mission’s Brookline storefront is not operating, the landlord has sent termination notice and the previously reported transfer to a buyer is now unlikely. “That transfer now is likely not viable because of the receivership,” he said.
Board members pressed two issues: whether the receiver will explicitly acknowledge the Town of Brookline’s host community agreement obligations in writing, and whether the license should be returned to the town if a reopening is not viable. Town Counsel told the board he believes the facts on the record indicate Mission is not currently operating and that company conduct appears to violate the town’s expectations; however, he said the legal remedy (revocation or other actions) requires a careful analysis and the board should await counsel’s options after conversation with the receiver.
Select Board Member Paul Warren said he favored returning the license to the town if it had no viable path to reopening: “You don’t have a lease. You’re not operating,” he said, urging a prompt resolution. Wimmer said he would raise the board’s concerns with the receiver and seek a written affirmation that the receiver will honor the HCA; he also said the receiver is pursuing potential purchasers for Mission’s Massachusetts operations but acknowledged that any sale would require municipal and state regulatory approvals.
After discussion the board voted to direct Town Counsel to engage with the receiver and return with options for the Select Board at a future meeting. Counsel said he would meet the receiver the following day and aim to provide a status update to the board promptly.
