By HANNAH CLARKIN

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COVENTRY — After his appointment to the Coventry Planning Commission, local developer Michael Baird responded to critics by saying he didn’t build without permits and all the issues with the town over his properties had been resolved.

A look at Baird’s record tells a different story, revealing multiple stop work and cease and desist orders for buildings not built to code or built without permits.

Copies of the records, provided by the planning department, include orders dating back to 2003. The list includes a stop work order dated Feb. 27, 2003 for building a porch without a permit on 15 Reservoir Road; a Dec. 29, 2006 stop work order for working without a permit; an Oct. 10, 2007 stop work order for 17A Reservoir Road; a notice on June 6, 2008 for never picking up an original copy of a certificate of occupancy for 29 Reservoir Road; and a cease and desist order on June 11, 2008 for the construction of a horse barn at 2114 Plainfield Pike that did not match the specifications given to the building department.

Baird has also been accused of running a business at 1185 Tiogue Ave. in a building without a certificate of occupancy or the proper inspections. He no longer owns that building, Baird said on Friday.

“I sold out of the storage unit three days ago,” he said. “I don’t own it. The town should have been serving the real estate company those notices anyway. The violation should not have been extended to Mike Baird. I sold to a corporation that I don’t know the name of, so I’d be lying if I told it to you.”

Baird also appeared in court on Friday, Nov. 14, to remedy a situation with property on Gibson Hill Road — a stop work order issued on Sept. 29, 2008, according to Associate Town Planner Jacob Peabody. Baird signed a court order admitting guilt for removing gravel without proper permits, Peabody said. He also agreed to pay a fine, administer a restoration plan, re-grade the land, and return the dirt.

When asked if Baird’s violations are routine for developers in town Peabody said they weren’t.

“It’s not like he just starting this now,” Peabody said. “His violations start in 2003. He’s a developer; he should know that in order to build you have to have a permit.”

When presented with a list of documented violations, Baird said there were reasons and explanations for each one but he did not wish to comment on them at the time.

“I currently have nothing outstanding with the town,” Baird said.

His residential and commercial properties bring in $164,000 of taxes annually and he has three children in the school system, Baird said.

 “I’ve built more buildings in the Town of Coventry than any other builder I can think of,” he said.

He blamed past violations on the slow permit process in the town. “Go to the town hall and try to get something done,” Baird said. “You can’t. It’s tortuous. People are never there.”

His record of violations are not out of the ordinary, Baird said.

“There are lots of other buildings in Coventry who don’t have certificates of occupancy. People build things without a permit all the time. So if everyone does it than it’s OK, right? People should just leave me alone. I want to be left alone,” he said. “On the planning board, I will go to the meetings. I will do what I have to do to make things easier for businesses here. I submitted my application just like everyone else.”