Chelmsford Select Board Member Resigns After Outburst

CHELMSFORD, MA — Select Board member Emily Antul abruptly resigned Wednesday after a heated exchange with a member of the Finance Committee during a joint meeting that ended with her calling the other woman an offensive, vulgar word.

"I am sorry for letting slip some inappropriate and highly offensive gender-specific language. It was wrong," Antul said in her resignation letter Wednesday. "I apologize to anyone who may feel offended by it."

During the Jan. 11 joint meeting of the Select Board, School Committee and Finance Committee, the members were discussing reaching out to elected officials about increasing state aid for the town.

Antul was nodding emphatically and added the town should push back against Gov. Charlie Baker’s policies as she criticized him.

"We need new revenue, we need a governor who has some vision and understanding of basic math, is what we need," she said. "And we need to push back hard."

She was interrupted by Finance Committee member Annita Tanini.

"Excuse me, Emily, what have you done?" Tanini said. "I'm meeting with our new state rep. I'm meeting our new state rep. from Precinct 4. Are any of you coming to it?"

After a pause, Antul started to respond, "Am I showing up on a day I have to work? No I'm ... "

Tanini and Antul then began to talk over one another.

"I'm doing more than you, trust me, so do not go there," Tanini said.

"Absolutely enough," Antul said, her voice rising. "Stop it. You interrupted me, and now you're insulting me. You want to know what I do? We can take this off-line and I'll tell you what I do."

As Select Board Chair Ken Lefebvre asked to move on, Antul leaned back in her chair and called Tanini a shocking name for a woman while her mic was still on.

Someone could be heard gasping and several people's mouths dropped open.

There was a pause before the meeting continued.

Antul had been a member of the Board of Selectmen since 2018 and a Town Meeting member since 2014. Town elections are set for April 2.

"As we are within 100 days of our local election, the vacancy does not need to be filled," Town Clerk Tricia Dzuris said.

Antul's resignation letter: