A Longmeadow Planning Board member says he plans on staying amid calls to resign – months after he showed up unannounced at a resident’s home and made discriminatory comments.
It was the evening of Jan. 7, when Fabricio Ochoa’s Ring camera detected movement in the backyard. Pausing dinner prep with his family, he went out to see who had wandered onto the property. That’s when he encountered Longmeadow Planning Board Member Walter Gunn.
Gunn would eventually explain he was scouting out the parcel, and that it involved planning board business. A resident nearby had been bringing up concerns over RV storage bylaws, while the Ochoas had been planning to move one onto the property.
While the discussion culminated in the two exchanging info and voicing mutual frustration over the issue, the opening moments were tense.
“... why are you so offensive about me being [here],” Gunn is heard asking in video shared with WAMC.
“I’m not defensive – I just see a strange man in my backyard … in the dark,” Ochoa replies, before Gunn cuts in.
“I’m not a stranger, I’m actually a resident. Do you live here? Do you live in town? Do you speak English? How’s your English?” Gunn replies.
“Well, you tell me,” Ochoa says.
Recorded on Ochoa’s phone, about 24 minutes of the incident are captured across two videos provided by the town, featuring Gunn asking Ochoa if he can speak English and, at one point, if he was a housekeeper.
“So, you're just a housekeeper here?” Gunn is heard asking after Ochoa initially declined identifying himself. “I'm just curious - I just want to know what you know about this because we have a public hearing tomorrow…”
The encounter left Ochoa feeling disheartened and humiliated, he said in a March complaint sent to the planning board’s chair, Cheryl Thibodeau.
He added that, during the encounter and as heard in the video, Gunn admitted to being arrested in the past for trespassing. He also gave a false name.
Ochoa also claimed to have smelled alcohol on his breath. Gunn tells WAMC he had not been drinking and that he had been out exercising on his bike at the time, looking to kill two birds with one stone by stopping by the parcel.
Gunn also claims he wasn't clear on if anyone was living in the house ahead of time, leading to him asking if Ochoa was some kind of housekeeper or caretaker for the property.
He also claims Ochoa initially spoke Spanish when coming out of the house. Ochoa tells WAMC the claim is a “blatant lie” and that he would “never speak Spanish to greet someone” arriving on his property. He adds his household speaks English, and that he’s the only member who can speak another language.
Calls for resignation mount amid public apology
Regardless, after months of correspondence between the resident and planning board leadership, a public apology by the planning board was approved on May 9.
The board voted unanimously for it, with Gunn also voting “yes.”
Referring to Gunn’s remarks to Ochoa as racist, discriminatory and bigoted at a May 19 select board meeting, various residents and the select board itself called on Gunn to resign.
“No resident of Longmeadow or anywhere should be subjected to the treatment that the Ochoa’s experienced… especially from an elected official. While we recognize Mr. Gunn's years of service on the planning board, we do not think he can continue to serve as a member of the planning board,” said Select Board Chair Vineeth Hemavathi, reading from a letter addressing the matter. “This incident is a breach of the public trust, at such a scale that residents will question the town's integrity and the actions of the planning board if Mr. Gunn retains his position. We are respectfully asking Mr. Gunn to resign from the planning board, effective immediately.”
But, Gunn refuses to step aside. He tells WAMC while he owns up to showing up on someone’s property without an invitation, he says there were “no racist remarks made.”
He also believes the May 9th apology was “supposed to be the end” of the matter, and that further actions, like moving him out of roles on the planning board by nominating someone else, were uncalled for.
During a June 4th planning board meeting, Gunn objected to such measures, including the nomination of someone else to serve as Pioneer Valley Planning Commission liaison.
“Cheryl, you're falling into a trap where… we are an independent elected committee… falling into a trap where you're being manipulated by [the] select board and town manager,” he told the chair and board as the nomination vote approached. “I really would recommend that you guys vote for me to continue as the Commissioner … I will be happy to phase us out, but I think, with annual elections coming up and some of the budgetary items coming up… [this is] real stupid…”
The meeting featured multiple tense moments, including Gunn leaving during its public comment portion as speakers called for his resignation.
Select board opts for special town meeting to overhaul how planning board is picked
Gunn’s behavior would come up at Wednesday’s special select board meeting – organized to plan a July 15 special town meeting.
In a month, officials hope to have residents vote on a potential charter change that could convert the planning board into an appointed body, rather than an elected one. It’s a move the select board had already been considering, but the Gunn incident appeared to accelerate.
According to town leadership, the charter offers no path for recalling or firing Gunn, an elected official.
At the same meeting, Hemavathi noted conversations he had with Gunn over the incident revealed other details, sparking further concern.
“He explained that, when he was at the Ochoa’s house on Jan. 7, he offered a fake name, ‘Walter Jones.’ We asked him why he had done that, and he said [it was] because he had been caught trespassing so many times before that he had learned to give a fake name to avoid getting in trouble” Hemavathi said. “And so … obviously that caused great concern for us. Towards the end of the meeting … as I said, it became it was clear that Mr. Gunn didn't understand the consequences of his actions or what he had done…”
Ochoa declined an on-the-record interview – instead sending a statement to WAMC that called Gunn’s refusal to resign “disturbing,” and that Ochoa felt “genuinely supported by both the residents of Longmeadow and town leadership.”
Gunn, meanwhile, says him taking legal action is not out of the question.
“I don’t think, at the end of the day, the Ochoa’s would have accepted an apology,” he said in a phone interview. “… somebody decided to ramp them up - that's all I know. You asked me would I sue the town - why not? I mean, this situation has brought out a lack of transparency. There was misinformation... legal mismanagement, and also mistrust among elected officials.”
Gunn's current, five-year term expires in 2026. He tells WAMC he's served on the board for at least 24 years.
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A full statement from Fabricio Ochoa reads, in-part
“…I have felt genuinely supported by both the residents of Longmeadow and town leadership. Their acknowledgment of what happened, and their efforts to take meaningful action, have been reassuring. Coming forward with our concerns wasn’t easy, and it placed our household in a spotlight we’re not used to, but the response from the town has made it feel like the right thing to do.
Regarding Mr. Gunn’s refusal to step down, I find it deeply troubling. His conduct—both in terms of trespassing and the offensive remarks—crossed serious lines. When someone in a public role acts that way and then refuses to take accountability, it undermines trust in our institutions.
The Select Board’s move to overhaul the Planning Board, in light of this, shows leadership. It signals that they’re not just looking to smooth things over but are willing to make structural changes to uphold community values. That gives me hope for the kind of town we want to live in—one where decency and accountability are expected from everyone, especially those in public service.
Our decision to report Mr. Gunn was not motivated by anger or a desire for retribution. It came from a place of principle—and a hope that he might come to truly understand the harm that racism and discrimination causes, not just on a personal level, but to the community as a whole.
We believe that accountability can be a step toward reflection and growth. It would have been easier to stay silent, but we felt a responsibility to speak up—not only for ourselves, but for others who may not feel they can.
We hope this moment leads to greater awareness and change, and that Mr. Gunn takes the opportunity to reflect on the impact of his words and actions.”
