Milford Official Charged In Series Of Brush Fires Has Not Resigned

MILFORD, MA — A Milford elected official arrested for setting a series of brush fires in town has not resigned — and does not have to — town officials said this week.

Scott Vecchiolla, 50, was arrested last week on four counts of burning land, trees, lumber or produce, Milford police said. He was arraigned May 25 and ordered held on $5,000 bail. He has since posted bail, according to the court clerk.

Milford police said Vecchiolla admitted to setting a series of "recent and past brush fires," but the department has not provided details about where and when the fires occurred. A judge has ordered him to remain under house arrest with GPS monitoring and not to possess any ignition sources or combustibles upon release, according to the Worcester County District Attorney's Office.

Milford Town Clerk Amy Neves confirmed Vecchiolla had not as of Tuesday resigned from his seat on the library board of trustees. He was elected to the seat in 2021, and his term ends in 2024. Vecchiolla did not return a request for comment Wednesday.

Vecchiolla was an elected member of the Trustees of Vernon Grove Cemetery, but he resigned from the seat in January 2022. He also ran for a seat on the Milford Planning Board this spring.

Milford Town Counsel Brian Murray said the town does not have a bylaw requiring elected officials charged with crimes to step down. If Vecchiolla doesn't voluntarily resign, however, he could be recalled through a special election. He could also be unseated in the 2024 spring election.

According to town law, a recall election could happen if 10 registered voters file a recall petition. Once filed with the clerk and the select board, the petition would have to be signed by 20 percent of registered voters within 20 days to trigger a special election.

Massachusetts does not have a blanket law requiring municipal elected officials charged with crimes to resign. Natick faced that question in 2021 when an elected town meeting member was charged over her involvement in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot. Town laws did not allow her to be removed or even recalled, and she left office only after not running for reelection in 2022.

Former Fall River mayor Jasiel Correia II refused to resign in 2018 when he was charged with fraud and extortion. The Fall River City Council filed for a recall, but Correia was reelected. He was arrested again in 2019 for extorting cannabis businesses, and finally lost his seat in the 2019 general election. He's serving a six-year sentence in federal prison.

According to state law, Vecchiolla could face up to three years in state prison if convicted.