New Bedford Conservation Commission Chairman Quits [OPINION]

Craig Dixon, the embattled chairman of the New Bedford Conservation Commission, is resigning and he is leaving town for greener pastures.

It has been a rough few months for the chairman. He is finally doing the right thing by resigning, but he did some serious harm before he called it quits.

The folks in Ward One who have to deal with the Parallel Projects waste treatment facility will probably be happy with his resignation. The folks in Ward Six who abutt the seasonal water park will probably be happy as well.

I assume Mayor Jon Mitchell is also relieved to see Mr. Chairman turn in his gavel. It was Mayor Mitchell who Dixon publicly accused of "pressuring" him into approving the water park deal. The soon-to-be-former chairman offered zero evidence for his allegations and the mayor, a former federal prosecutor, cooly explained he hadn't spoken to Dixon in about a year.

The Chairman doesn't like being questioned by the public or the media. And when questioned, he cracked up. He blamed the mayor and the media and he did so in public meetings.

Dixon is promising to stay on as chair until December 17, 2019, unless Mayor Mitchell feels his "services are no longer required".

His reason is he "intends to move out of the city by the end of the year."

He should leave a forwarding address, because there are still people in New Bedford and their lawyers who may want to speak to Chairman Dixon about his actions on Parallel Products and the South End water park.

Chris McCarthy is the host of The Chris McCarthy Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon. Contact him at chris.mccarthy@townsquaremedia.com and follow him on Twitter @Chris_topher_Mc. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.