MassVoter.com← AbingtonMunicipal votes · 2020–2021 Board
How the Abington Select Board voted, from the Select Board’s official minutes. 5 Select Board members elected townwide. Alex Bezanson and Mike Kolodziej joined the board after the 2020 town election; Tom Connolly and Ken Coyle left. On July 13, 2020 the board chose Tim Chapin as Chair (unanimous) and Alex Bezanson as Vice Chair (3 ayes). The town has posted minutes for this board only through October 19, 2020; nothing is posted for November 2020 to April 2021 (the website has no 2021 minutes folder). Covers 7 meetings, July 13 to October 19, 2020.
A monthly email on what it voted on, starting in November.
What does the Select Board do? It is the town’s executive board. It prepares the Town Meeting warrant (the list of articles voters decide), appoints members of many town boards, hires the town’s top staff, signs warrants to pay town bills, and grants licenses and permits.
Town Meeting, not the Select Board, votes the town budget and town bylaws.
Sources: Massachusetts Select Board Handbook (MMA) · Mass. Division of Local Services: the town budgetYour Abington ballot: 13 quizzes, about a minute each.
Start my ballot →MassVoter can’t read Abington’s meeting calendar automatically yet. See upcoming meetings on the official site →
In Abington, Town Meeting — not the Select Board — votes the town budget, bylaws and zoning. Here is what it did with each article, in the Town Clerk’s own words. Any registered voter can take part, and most votes are by voice or show of hands, so there is no list of who voted which way.
Source: Town Clerk's certified record in the 2025 Annual Town Report.
Not here yet: the April 1, 2024 Annual Town Meeting, the November 25, 2024 Special Town Meeting and the May 4, 2026 Annual Town Meeting (the Town posts only warrants for these, and no 2024 Annual Town Report is online).
Titles are short descriptions of each article from the official record; the quoted words are the Town Clerk’s. A vote at Town Meeting is not the final word on everything: some articles also need a ballot vote (such as a tax override) or the Attorney General’s approval (bylaws).
"At X of Y meetings" counts the members the minutes list as present at the start of each meeting in this record. Members who step out are listed on each meeting page.
Loaded: every Select Board meeting (called the Board of Selectmen until 2025) with minutes posted on the town website: 2019, 2020 and January 2022 through July 20, 2026. Not here: anything from 2021 (the website has no 2021 minutes folder), meetings whose minutes the town has not posted (the board meets about twice a month, but only 10 to 16 sets of minutes are posted for each year), executive-session minutes, and minutes after July 20, 2026. Abington's minutes are typed by the Town Manager's office and usually give the mover, the seconder and the result in one line ("motion by Mr. X ..., seconded by Ms. Y, unanimous"); remote and Zoom-era votes are often roll calls by name. 57 of the 97 files are scans (every file from 2019 through September 2023 and nine later ones), which we read by computer text recognition. When the minutes say a vote was unanimous we show every member present as voting yes; when they give a roll call, or a count with the members who voted no or abstained named, we show each member's vote as recorded. Abington writes three-number counts as for-abstain-against (for example "4-1-0 (Mr. Bunker abstained)"). When the minutes record an action with no count, no names and no mention of a unanimous vote, we show the result only and never assume it was unanimous. Where the minutes give only a count without names, or the names and the count do not match, we show the count only and add a note. Members who had not yet arrived, had left, or stepped aside (recused) are left out of that vote. At joint meetings (Board of Assessors, Water and Sewer Commissioners) only the Select Board members' votes are shown, and a "choice" vote where each member named a candidate shows the result only. We will ask the town to confirm any noted vote.
Most board votes are unanimous. These are the ones where at least one member voted no or abstained, newest first.
October 6, 2020: Adopt the order of layout for Crabtree Lane
To adopt the order of layout for Crabtree Lane
Yes: Chapin, DiMarzio, James Connolly, KolodziejAbstained: Bezanson
“Motion by Mr. Connolly to adopt the order of layout for Crabtree Lane, seconded by Mr. Kolodziej, 4 ayes, 1 abstention (Mr. Bezanson) (attached)..” (Motion: James Connolly, second: Kolodziej)
October 6, 2020: Approve Articles 18 and 19 of the Special Town Meeting warrant (Board recommendation)
Articles 18 & 19
The minutes give only the count (4-0-1), not how each member voted.
“Articles 18 & 19 were approved by a 4 aye, 1 abstention vote..”
September 28, 2020: Open the STM warrant (Discussion and possible vote to re-open STM warrant)
To open the STM warrant
Yes: Bezanson, DiMarzio, James Connolly, KolodziejNo: Chapin
“Motion by Mr. Connolly to open the STM warrant, seconded by Mr. Kolodziej, 4 ayes, 1 opposed (Mr. Chapin)..” (Motion: James Connolly, second: Kolodziej)
July 27, 2020: Approve Special Municipal Employee status for Planning Board engineering consultants
To approve Special Municipal Employee status for Planning Board engineering consultants
Yes: Bezanson, Chapin, James Connolly, KolodziejNo: DiMarzio
“After discussion, and referring to KP Law memo, motion was made by Alex to approve Special Municipal Employee status for Planning Board engineering consultants, seconded by Jim, 4 ayes, 1 opposed (Kevin)..” (Motion: Bezanson, second: James Connolly)
July 13, 2020: Nominate Alex Bezanson as Vice Chair
To nominate Alex Bezanson as Vice Chair
The minutes give only the count (3-0), not how each member voted. The count does not add up to the 5 members listed as present.
“Jim Connolly nominated Alex Bezanson as Vice Chair, seconded by Tim Chapin, 3 ayes..” (Motion: James Connolly, second: Chapin)
July 13, 2020: Appoint Andy Burbine from alternate to voting member, Zoning Board of Appeals; Ellen Delany to Affordable Housing Committee; Richard Smith from associate to voting member, Conservation Commission
To appoint Andy Burbine from alternate to voting member, Zoning Board of Appeals; Ellen Delany to Affordable Housing Committee; Richard Smith from associate to voting member, Conservation Commission
Yes: Chapin, DiMarzio, James Connolly, KolodziejAbstained: Bezanson
“Motion by Kevin DiMarzio to appoint Andy Burbine from alternate to voting member, Zoning Board of Appeals; Ellen Delany to Affordable Housing Committee; Richard Smith from associate to voting member, Conservation Commission; seconded by Mike Kolodziej. Discussion ~ Alex Bezanson - wants ZBA to be more friendly toward applicants for variances to bring commercial development into Abington, and to residents. A lot of the present commercial development would not have been possible without variances. Tim Chapin agreed. There is one alternate position on the Zoning Board that is available. Vote ~ 4 ayes, 1 abstention (Alex)..” (Motion: DiMarzio, second: Kolodziej)
From the Abington Select Board’s (formerly Board of Selectmen) official minutes, posted in the Select Board minutes folders on the town website. We check every vote against the members present and quote the exact wording. MassVoter never grades or scores officials. Photos of current members: Abington News candidate articles (Emery, Eddy, Cormier) and Abington CAM candidate videos (Bunker, Coyle). Former members show initials.
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