Resident accuses mayor of favoring developers during public comment; mayor disputes claim

Dan Sabatka, a resident of Hillside Road, used the council's public‑comment period to accuse the mayor of acting as “a front man for the developers,” saying the mayor bought three tracts of private land to consolidate and hand to a housing developer and that town halls and meetings had been used as sales pitches rather than open forums. Sabatka urged new councilmembers to expand audience participation, allow residents to ask questions about pending legislation, and to restore multi‑reading rules for ordinances so items are not rushed through on an emergency basis.

Mayor (identified in the transcript by role) responded directly from the dais, telling Sabatka, “Get your facts right so you'll have better credibility someday.” The mayor also invited other speakers and moved on to the next agenda item.

The exchange was confined to the public‑comment period; no motion, investigation, or formal council action was proposed during the meeting in response to Sabatka’s allegations. Council discussion later in the meeting covered numerous ordinances and consent items but did not record any formal acknowledgement, denial, or investigation instigated by the council related to Sabatka’s specific claims.

Context: public comment is an opportunity for residents to raise concerns but does not itself constitute formal evidence of misconduct. The mayor’s reply—published verbatim in the transcript—was a response on the record; the transcript does not show any further factual development, rebuttal evidence, or an administration statement corroborating or disproving Sabatka’s allegations.