Stempeck Resigns as RMLD Commissioner

Select Board & RMLD Board Will Fill Vacancy

Reading, MA — In a letter dated May 24, Reading Municipal Light Department (RMLD) Board of Commissioners chair Philip Pacino informed Select Board chair Jackie McCarthy that long-time commissioner John Stempeck has resigned from the board effective May 18.

Stempeck’s letter was addressed to RMLD General Manager Greg Phipps, the RMLD Citizen Advisory Board, and the RMLD Board of Commissioners, stating his resignation was for “personal reasons.”

Hello Greg, CAB, and RMLD Board,

I wanted everyone to know that due to personal issues, I will be resigning my role as Commissioner as of the end of tomorrow night’s (May) meeting.

I greatly appreciate Reading voters who have elected me to serve for these past nine years. I believe that the Board and the entire RMLD have grown professionally over this time and are now at the forefront of municipal plants within Massachusetts. We have maintained low cost, reliable energy for our four town customers, while at the same time significantly reducing our carbon footprint. I feel honored to have been part of this work.

The present management team, Board, and employees are doing a fantastic job of advancing these efforts through their innovative approaches to on-site generation, battery backup, and continued search for non-carbon sources of electricity.

Thank you for our work together.

John Stempeck

In 2012, Stempeck was appointed to fill a vacancy after the resignation of Commissioner Mary Ellen O’Neill. He was elected to a two-year term at the following local election in 2013.

The commissioners will likely meet next week to vote to officially post for interested residents to apply for the vacated position. The posted position on the board will be for a term expiring after the next local election in April 2024. According to Town Manager Fidel Maltez, all applications must be submitted to the Town Clerk once the position is posted. Applicants will complete the normal volunteer application but are encouraged to submit a short statement as to why they would like to be appointed to the RMLD Board of Commissioners. 

Maltez continued, stating that applicants will be interviewed by a joint meeting of the Board of Commissioners and the Select Board on either June 27 or 28. He also shared that applicants will be asked to give a brief opening statement at this meeting. The commissioners or Select Board members may ask follow-up questions of applicants at that time. To apply, complete the Volunteer Application (PDF) and return it to the Town Clerk’s Office.

The Board of Commissioners is the governing body of the RMLD, a municipal electric utility serving over 70,000 residents in the towns of Reading, North Reading, Wilmington, and Lynnfield Center.