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George Simolaris,
a selectman in Billerica, about 25 miles from Boston, said he
was tired of constituents asking when the white paint would be
freshened up, so he fixed the problem himself. He said he bought
cans of green paint, the town's official color, and spent the
weekend painting over six faded crosswalks.
"All I've heard for months is: 'When is this going to get
done?'" Simolaris said. "I got sick of it."
Police and town officials said painting the street without
authorization was illegal and charged him with two counts of
destruction of property, according to Billerica police spokesman
Roy Frost.
Town Manager John Curran said the town was in the midst of a
$400,000 pedestrian safety project that requires digging up the
street including some of the crosswalks in question, which are
slated to be repainted once construction is complete.
He added that Simolaris would be required to repay the $4,000
cost of cleaning up the paint, which he said chipped and
smeared.
"His job is to uphold laws not break them," Curran said. "He has
no respect for the governmental process."
Simolaris defended his actions.
"I'm just trying to do right by the people in my town," he said.
"I didn't think I was intervening in other people's day-to-day
activities or doing anything wrong."
(Editing by Scott Malone and Peter Cooney)
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