Following his arrest June 5 on allegations of embezzling Needham Baseball & Softball funds, Christopher Gerstel plans to resign as chair of the Park and Recreation Commission, vice-chair Michelle Geddes informed board members during a June 15 meeting.
Although Gerstel was not present at the meeting, Geddes said he had communicated his intentions to town management, adding, “the town clerk will notify us when the required paperwork is complete.” His resignation will not be official until the paperwork is processed.
Following an official resignation, Park and Rec will work together with the Select Board to fill Gerstel’s seat for the remainder of his three-year term, set to expire in 2027. The individual appointed to the commission will not assume Gerstel’s position as chair, but will become the fifth board member until the next election cycle.
“I can keep the group updated,” said Geddes. “Probably by the next meeting we can give an update.”
The remaining four board members reshuffled positions ahead of Gerstel’s formal resignation. Geddes will take Gerstel’s place as Park and Rec chair, marking her first (if unusually short) term in that position. Geddes said she would be “happy to take on that nomination,” which the other board members supported unanimously. “I know I don’t want to be,” said board member Jim Rosenbaum.
After some discussion, Rosenbaum agreed to fill the vice chair position despite commitments that will take him out of town for several months this summer.
Geddes noted that the board can vote to revisit these nominations at a later date. Director of Park and Recreation Stacey Mulroy added that there are no bylaws requiring individuals to remain in a specific position for any length of time.
Geddes opened the meeting with a statement responding to Gerstel’s arrest.
“I’d like to open the meeting by acknowledging the arrest of Chris Gerstel related to charges brought by the U.S. attorney’s office. This is difficult news to process, but wanted to make a few things clear.”
Geddes noted the charges against Gerstel are unrelated to his role on the commission, and did not involve commission business, proceedings, programs, financial matters or actions taken by the commission. She emphasized that no town funds were alleged to be stolen — “the funds in question are those of [a] private, local nonprofit organization, not public dollars.”
“The commission will not comment further on this matter,” she concluded. “Questions regarding the case should be directed to the U.S. attorney’s office in Boston. Any questions for the town of Needham can be directed to the town manager at otm@needhamma.gov.”
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