Somerset Christmas Decorations Go Missing

Inflatable holiday decorations that filled the Somerset town green have gone missing.

The town green, located in the center of town on County Street, has long been decorated with large, lit up, inflatable Christmas decorations, including a large snowman and characters from the movie Frozen, but last winter, the decorations were never installed. This year, the items are once again missing from the display.

Former Somerset Board of Selectman David Berube and his wife would often assist the town highway department in setting up the display. An inquiry to a member of the Somerset Highway Department told us that when the display was last taken down, Berube instructed them to be transported to his private residence. That is the last known location of the inflatables.

It had been previously reported by The Somerset Sentinel and The Spectator that the inflatables and decorations were donated to the town, some from the local Home Depot. Speaking with Berube at a town meeting last year, Berube told this reporter the items were donations to the town. A call to Home Depot confirmed that they did indeed donate some of the inflatables to the town, but they do not keep records of donations beyond six months.

A request to the Somerset Town Administrator confirmed that the items had not been purchased with town funds and were likely donations to the town. Town Administrator Mark Ullucci said in his email that he spoke with Somerset Highway Department Director Chris Simons who confirmed that his department did deliver the decorations to the Forrest Avenue home of David Berube.

Simons told the town administrator that he was instructed by Berube to deliver them to his home, but Simons was unaware who owned the items.

Berube, who lost a bid for re-election to the Somerset Board of Selectmen in 2020 and a second run in 2021, cancelled his “Spirit of Somerset” event in town after Berube said the town should cover costs related to police and fire details and highway department services, despite being a private event.

A call to Berube inquiring about the decorations was not returned.