Viral video shows Wilmington elected official shouting F-word, storming out of public meeting
A heated exchange in which an elected official in Wilmington shouted an expletive and stormed out of a recorded board of selectmen meeting is going viral.
Select Board Member Lilia Maselli lost her cool and shouted, “Why don’t you go f*** yourself,” toward a resident speaking during public comment at last Tuesday’s select board meeting, which is regularly filmed by Wilmington Community Television.
That resident, Kevin MacDonald, pressed board members on various controversial issues that were not on the agenda, including claims of a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for town employees and potential resulting health issues for firefighters.
“This is a huge issue when people are having myocarditis, blood clots, and other serious problems,” MacDonald said.
Town Manager Jeffrey Hull told Boston 25 News he never mandated a COVID-19 vaccine, but rather the town advised employees on where to get the shots, if desired, and instructed employees to speak with their doctors before deciding on the vaccine.
What the short video clip shared on social media doesn’t show, Hull said, is decades of frequent public comments from MacDonald and mounting frustration from board members.
Hull believes MacDonald, who has unsuccessfully run for town select board in past years, attends the meetings to provoke officials.
“In many cases [he] seems to like to incite negative responses. Quite often, the commentary he offers is simply not accurate, as was the case,” Hull said. “We don’t discourage people from making comment – that’s part of why we are here. I think what’s problematic and challenging is when individuals are making false statements and just trying to encourage confrontation.”
Asked by Select Board Chair Gary DePalma who is experiencing health issues related to the vaccine, MacDonald shouted, “A firefighter who’s probably the best firefighter in town!”
DePalma responded, “Don’t you raise your voice at me, pal!” threatening to kick him out of the meeting.
As board members interrupted MacDonald to tell him his comments did not relate to the agenda, MacDonald insisted they related to insurance costs for the town and, thus, the budget.
Tensions rose as MacDonald asked Maselli about her private job and made a comment about the ice cream shop she owns.
“No one in town likes you or anything you say,” Maselli said to MacDonald.
“Go eat some ice cream,” MacDonald replied.
“Yeah, why don’t you go f*** yourself?” Maselli finally yelled into the microphone before slamming her papers on the table and leaving the meeting. “Can we get the police here, so this guy doesn’t attack us? If he’s going to be here, I’m not. I’m done with this s***.”
Hull said the meeting was abruptly adjourned following the outburst.
MacDonald was arrested in 2019 for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon among other charges for allegedly threatening a police officer and construction worker with an excavator as he believed the workers were encroaching on his property, according to the Wilmington Apple.
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