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Acton Select Board
How the Acton Select Board voted, from the Select Board’s official minutes. 5 Select Board members elected townwide for three-year terms. On May 20, 2024 the board chose Francesca Arsenault as Chair (3-2, over Dean A. Charter), Dean A. Charter as Vice Chair (3-2, over David D. Martin) and Alissa Nicol as Clerk (unanimous). The same five members served all year. Covers 33 meetings, May 20 to May 6, 2025.
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 budgetBoard years
Coming up
MassVoter can’t read Acton’s meeting calendar automatically yet. See upcoming meetings on the official site →
Members
ChairFrancesca ArsenaultChair · At-large · at 33 of 33 meetings
Vice-ChairDean A. CharterVice Chair · At-large · at 31 of 33 meetings
David D. MartinMember · At-large · at 32 of 33 meetings
Alissa NicolClerk · At-large · at 33 of 33 meetingsJim Snyder-GrantMember · At-large · at 30 of 33 meetings"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.
Meetings
About missing minutes
Loaded: Acton Select Board minutes (the board was called the Board of Selectmen until April 2021) from January 8, 2018 through September 14, 2026: 290 meetings and 2,028 votes. The town’s Archive Center holds the board’s minutes back to 1994; MassVoter has loaded 2018 on. All the minutes loaded are typed documents with searchable text. Where the town posted more than one version of a meeting’s minutes (originals and amended versions), we use the latest version. Not here: executive-session minutes; meetings whose files say “Meeting Canceled” (May 1, 2024 and January 26, 2026); meetings with an agenda but no posted minutes, among them the regular meetings of July 6, 2020, April 3, May 8 and May 22, 2023, and February 23, 2026, several workshops and short sessions, and executive-session-only meetings; and meetings after September 14, 2026 (the September 28 and October 5, 2026 minutes are not posted yet). Acton’s minutes give the mover, the seconder and the count (“Mr. Martin moved, seconded by Ms. Nicol … and approved 4-1-0 (Arsenault)”), and name in brackets the member who voted no or abstained; in 2020 and 2021, when the board met remotely, most votes were roll calls by name. When the count and the names add up to the members present, each member is shown voting as recorded; “approved unanimously” and “All Ayes” are shown as every member present voting yes. Where the count does not match the members present, a split count names no one, or a roll call has a typing slip, we show the count only, with a note (60 votes); 6 votes record the result only. At the March 2, March 16 and April 6, 2026 meetings a name in brackets after a Town Meeting article marks the member assigned to present it, not a dissenter; split votes there show the count only. When members chose between two nominees for an office, we show the result only and quote who chose whom. Members who stepped aside (recused) are not shown as voting. Eight sets of minutes (mid-2022 and mid-2023) have no attendance list; all five members are named taking part, so all five are shown present. At joint meetings (Finance Committee budget workshops, Library Trustees, other boards) only the Select Board’s own votes are shown. We will ask the town to confirm any noted vote.
Votes where members disagreed
Most board votes are unanimous. These are the ones where at least one member voted no or abstained, newest first.
May 6Take no position on an amendment to delay leaf…Motion: Ms. Nicol moved, seconded by Ms. Arsenault, to take no position…Passed 4–1 · see note
May 6, 2025: Take no position on an amendment to delay leaf blower bylaw by 1 year
Ms. Nicol moved, seconded by Ms. Arsenault, to take no position on an amendment to delay leaf blower bylaw by 1 year
The minutes give the count as 4-1 but do not say who voted no or abstained. Showing the count only.
From the minutes
“Ms. Nicol moved, seconded by Ms. Arsenault, to take no position on an amendment to delay leaf blower bylaw by 1 year and approved 4-1.” (Motion: Nicol, second: Arsenault)
May 6Not recommend delay of leaf blower bylaw more than…Motion: Mr. Martin moved, seconded by Ms. Nicol, the Board not recommend…Passed 3–0 · see note
May 6, 2025: Not recommend delay of leaf blower bylaw more than a year
Mr. Martin moved, seconded by Ms. Nicol, the Board not recommend delay of leaf blower bylaw more than a year
The minutes give the count as 3-0-2 but do not say who voted no or abstained. Showing the count only.
From the minutes
“Mr. Martin moved, seconded by Ms. Nicol, the Board not recommend delay of leaf blower bylaw more than a year and approved 3-0-2.” (Motion: Martin, second: Nicol)
Apr 7Approve a maximum of 2 new street lightsMotion: Mr. Charter moved, seconded by Mr. Martin, to approve a maximum…Passed 3–1 · see note
April 7, 2025: Approve a maximum of 2 new street lights
Mr. Charter moved, seconded by Mr. Martin, to approve a maximum of 2 new street lights
The minutes write "3-1-1 (Nicol, Snyder-Grant)" without saying which named member voted no and which abstained. Showing the count only.
From the minutes
“Mr. Charter moved, seconded by Mr. Martin, to approve a maximum of 2 new street lights and approved 3-1-1 (Nicol, Snyder-Grant).” (Motion: Charter, second: Martin)
Apr 7Not recommend (Review Annual Town Meeting Warrant and Consider…Motion: Mr. Martin moved, seconded by Mr. Charter, to not recommendFailed 2–1 · see note
April 7, 2025: Not recommend (Review Annual Town Meeting Warrant and Consider Voting Recommendations)
Mr. Martin moved, seconded by Mr. Charter, to not recommend
The minutes give the count as 2-1-2 but do not say who voted no or abstained. Showing the count only. The minutes record this motion as not passing even though more members voted yes than no.
From the minutes
“Mr. Martin moved, seconded by Mr. Charter, to not recommend and tied 2-1-2.” (Motion: Martin, second: Charter)
Apr 7Make no recommendationMotion: Ms. Nicol moved, seconded by Mr. Martin, to make no recommendationFailed 2–0 · see note
April 7, 2025: Make no recommendation
Ms. Nicol moved, seconded by Mr. Martin, to make no recommendation
The minutes give the count as 2-0-3 but do not say who voted no or abstained. Showing the count only. The minutes record this motion as not passing even though more members voted yes than no.
From the minutes
“Ms. Nicol moved, seconded by Mr. Martin, to make no recommendation and rejected 2-0-3.” (Motion: Nicol, second: Martin)
Apr 7Not recommend (Review Annual Town Meeting Warrant and Consider…Motion: Mr. Martin moved, seconded by Ms. Nicol, to not recommendPassed 3–0 · see note
April 7, 2025: Not recommend (Review Annual Town Meeting Warrant and Consider Voting Recommendations)
Mr. Martin moved, seconded by Ms. Nicol, to not recommend
The minutes give the count as 3-0-2 but do not say who voted no or abstained. Showing the count only.
From the minutes
“Mr. Martin moved, seconded by Ms. Nicol, to not recommend and approved 3-0-2.” (Motion: Martin, second: Nicol)
Apr 7Include the updated text in the warrant article 32Motion: Mr. Martin moved, seconded by Mr. Snyder-Grant, to include the updated…Passed 4–0 · see note
April 7, 2025: Include the updated text in the warrant article 32
Mr. Martin moved, seconded by Mr. Snyder-Grant, to include the updated text in the warrant article 32
The minutes give the count as 4-0-1 but do not say who voted no or abstained. Showing the count only.
From the minutes
“Mr. Martin moved, seconded by Mr. Snyder-Grant, to include the updated text in the warrant article 32 and approved 4-0-1.” (Motion: Martin, second: Snyder-Grant)
Mar 17Recommend article 8Motion: Mr. Martin moved, seconded by Mr. Snyder-Grant, to recommend article 8Passed 4–0 · see note
March 17, 2025: Recommend article 8
Mr. Martin moved, seconded by Mr. Snyder-Grant, to recommend article 8
Yes: Arsenault, Charter, Martin, Snyder-GrantThe minutes say Alissa Nicol stepped aside (recused), so that member is not shown as voting.
From the minutes
“Mr. Martin moved, seconded by Mr. Snyder-Grant, to recommend article 8 and approved 4-0-0 (Nicol recused).” (Motion: Martin, second: Snyder-Grant)
Mar 17Recommend article 32Motion: Mr. Martin moved, seconded by Ms. Arsenault, to recommend article 32Passed 4–1 · No: Charter
March 17, 2025: Recommend article 32
Mr. Martin moved, seconded by Ms. Arsenault, to recommend article 32
Yes: Arsenault, Martin, Nicol, Snyder-GrantNo: Charter
From the minutes
“Mr. Martin moved, seconded by Ms. Arsenault, to recommend article 32 and approved 4-1-0 (Charter).” (Motion: Martin, second: Arsenault)
Mar 17Approve a letter of support for the Safe Communities…Motion: Ms. Nicol moved, seconded by Mr. Snyder-Grant to approve a letter…Passed 4–1 · No: Charter
March 17, 2025: Approve a letter of support for the Safe Communities Act as edited
Ms. Nicol moved, seconded by Mr. Snyder-Grant to approve a letter of support for the Safe Communities Act as edited
Yes: Arsenault, Martin, Nicol, Snyder-GrantNo: Charter
From the minutes
“Ms. Nicol moved, seconded by Mr. Snyder-Grant to approve a letter of support for the Safe Communities Act as edited and approved 4-1-0 (Charter).” (Motion: Nicol, second: Snyder-Grant)
From the Acton Select Board’s official minutes, posted in the town’s Archive Center (Select Board Minutes). We check every vote against the Select Board members present and quote the exact wording. MassVoter never grades or scores officials. Photos: The Acton Exchange candidate profiles (Francesca Arsenault, April 2024, photo courtesy of Barrett Sotheby’s Realty; David D. Martin, April 2025; Alissa Nicol, April 2026; Pam Nourse, April 2026, photo by Maddie Freeman); Dean A. Charter from the Town of Acton’s Select Board group photo (May 11, 2026).
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