HopNews
Does this Change Everything? Should it?
UPDATE: HopNews made an assumption based on the signage on the former Hillers’ Pizza door (right) that the new business would be affiliated with the Sismanis family. That is not true, and we apologize for the error.
It is the Town’s understanding that a new business tenant will be leasing those spaces, and it is unaffiliated with the prior owners and management of Hiller’s Pizza.
Select Board Schedules Public Hearing Following Community Outcry
The Hopkinton Select Board has scheduled a public hearing to review the common victualer’s license for Hiller’s Pizza, located at 77 West Main Street, following mounting pressure from community members who have called for the revocation of the license.
The hearing is set for Thursday, September 4, 6p, at Hopkinton High School auditorium. There has been a significant escalation in a controversy that has divided the community and raised questions about public safety, due process, and the responsibilities of local licensing authorities.
A Pattern of Criminal Convictions
The controversy centers around Petros “Peter” Sismanis, owner of Hiller’s Pizza, whose recent criminal conviction has sparked widespread community concern. In June 2025, Sismanis was found guilty of indecent assault and battery on a person over 14 years of age, stemming from a 2023 incident involving a 16-year-old employee. The incident took place in the basement of Hiller’s Pizza.
Sismanis received a sentence of six months imprisonment as part of a 2½-year term, with the remaining time suspended. He was also convicted on two counts of witness intimidation and received three years of probation for those charges, to be served concurrently.
This recent conviction, however, is not Sismanis’ first encounter with the criminal justice system. In September 1997, he faced charges including two counts of rape and three counts of indecent assault and battery on a person over 14 years of age, related to an incident at another Hopkinton business. While initially pleading not guilty to all charges, Sismanis later changed his plea to guilty on two of the indecent assault charges.
The Licensing Controversy
A common victualer’s license is required in Massachusetts for any establishment with equipment for cooking, preparing, and serving food for public consumption on the premises. Despite transferring the business to his wife, Eleni Sismanis, in July 2025 (after his June conviction), the license remains in Peter Sismanis’ name, creating a complex legal situation.
According to a memo from Town Manager Elaine Lazarus, state law permits municipalities to hold license hearings when they deem that a licensee “improperly conducts the licensed business.”
This provision has become the legal foundation for the Select Board’s action. The situation has been further complicated by revelations that the town failed to perform required Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) checks on Sismanis from 2018 to 2024. During that time, the business license was renewed six times.
This oversight has drawn sharp criticism from community members, who question how such a significant procedural failure could have occurred.
Community Response and Organized Opposition
>> RELATED: Hopkinton Residents Picket Hiller’s Pizza
The community response has been swift and organized. Beth Malloy, who has emerged as a prominent voice in the opposition movement, has been leading regular protests outside Hiller’s Pizza, calling for a boycott of the establishment. Speaking at the August 5 Select Board meeting, Malloy identified herself as representing “a coalition of concerned residents, businesses, parents, and sexual abuse survivors united in our demand for immediate action to protect our children and restore trust in our community.”
Malloy emphasized that the issue extends beyond a single business, stating, “This isn’t about a single company. It’s about halting a convicted (repeat) predator, holding his apparent enablers accountable, correcting years of dangerous inaction, and ensuring that Hopkinton does not become a haven for those who harm our most vulnerable.
The opposition has also garnered support from neighboring communities, with several residents from both Milford and Ashland attending the August 5 Select Board meeting to voice their concerns and urge the revocation of the license.
The Petition Movement
A formal petition for the removal of Hiller’s Pizza has gained significant traction within the community. The petition reflects broader concerns about child safety and the appropriateness of allowing individuals with histories of sexual offenses to operate businesses that frequently employ minors and serve families.
Community members have expressed particular concern about Sismanis’ many donations to Hopkinton’s athletic programs and other youth activities, which they now view as inappropriate given his criminal history. This has added another layer of complexity to the controversy, as some residents question whether these contributions were made with ulterior motives.
Legal and Administrative Challenges
The case has presented significant legal and administrative challenges for the town. John Laskowsky of Ashland criticized what he termed the board’s “undeniable legal and moral collapse in this situation,” particularly highlighting the failure to conduct required CORI checks during the license renewal process.
Attorney Benito Zappia, representing the Sismanis family, has argued that the business is “in the process” of transferring the license to Sismanis’ wife and has objected to what he characterizes as negative comments directed toward family members who were not involved in the criminal conduct.
The situation has also drawn comparisons to another high-profile case in Hopkinton: the May 2025 conviction of former Police Deputy Chief John “Jay” Porter on three counts of child rape. Community members have pointed to these cases as evidence of broader systemic issues in how the town handles individuals with histories of sexual offenses.
The September 4 Public Hearing—is this moot?
The public hearing will provide a formal forum for community input and official deliberation on the license status. The Select Board voted 4-0 to hold the hearing, indicating unanimous agreement that the matter requires public consideration. The hearing will focus specifically on whether Sismanis has conducted his licensed business in an improper manner, as defined by state law.
Petition to Revoke Hiller’s Common Victualer’s License
Here is the LINK if you wish to sign the petition.
Please note that the comment “Assuming he will return home to live with his wife, the owner of Crust & Co.” is incorrect. Eleni Sismanis is not the new owner of Crust & Co. nor is the Sismanis family associated with the new restaurant Crust & Co. Further details on the new restaurant will be forthcoming. As Property Manager of 77 West Main Street and speaking on behalf of the Landlord, we are able to confirm this information publicly.
Thank you so much for the clarification!
Weren’t there more comments on this article yesterday?
Ray, great question! The post was updated (the new business is not affiliated with the old business). To see if the comments were affected, we looked at the previous version (which compares to the current version and shows what changed), but it didn’t include the comments. To be sure, we researched further and found this: the content of a post and the comments from the same post are stored separately in the database. Updating the content does not affect the comments associated with its ID.
That was a long way of saying that the number of comments had not changed. Thanks for the question; it helps me learn, as I’m still a newbie.
Thank you.