MassVoter.com← AshlandMunicipal votes · 2026–2027 Board
Ashland Select Board
How the Ashland Select Board voted, from the Select Board’s official minutes. 5 Select Board members elected townwide for three-year terms. Claudia Bennett was re-elected at the May 19, 2026 town election. On May 20, 2026 the board chose Brandi Kinsman as Chair, Claudia Bennett as Vice Chair and Makeda Keegan as Clerk for the next year (all 5-0). Town Manager Michael Herbert’s tenure ended in 2026; Katherine Bird is Interim Town Manager. Minutes after September 23, 2026 are not posted yet. The end date is a placeholder. Covers 10 meetings so far, May 20 to September 23, 2026.
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 budgetVote Transparency Score
Ashland Select Board: 5 out of 10 · Partly open
How easy Ashland makes it to see, online, how each member votes. It scores the town’s records, not any official. Checked October 12, 2026.
- Minutes postedMinutes are posted for most meetings, but some are missing.Part points: 1/2
- Each vote namedThe minutes name the members who vote no or abstain, but most votes do not list how each member voted.Part points: 2/3
- Posted quicklyMinutes usually go up within about two months, but a recent meeting is still missing.Part points: 1/2
- Past years onlineSelect Board minutes from 2008 to today are online.Full points: 1/1
- Readable textMost minutes are scanned images, not searchable text.No points: 0/1
- Member photosThe town’s website does not show photos of the members.No points: 0/1
How the town can raise its score
- Minutes posted (+1): Post approved minutes for every meeting on the town website. Don’t require a sign-in to view them.
- Each vote named (+1): On any vote that isn’t unanimous, write how each member voted. For example: “Motion passed 3–2. Yes: Smith, Jones, Lee. No: Brown, Silva.” A roll call on split votes is the simplest way to do this.
- Posted quickly (+1): Post minutes within 30 days. If approval takes longer, post a draft marked “Draft – not yet approved” and replace it later.
- Readable text (+1): Save minutes straight from Word or Google Docs as a PDF instead of printing and scanning them. If a scan is needed, turn on the scanner’s “searchable PDF” or text-recognition setting.
- Member photos (+1): Show a photo of each member on the board’s web page, with their name, the date their term ends and how to contact them. A group photo of the members, with everyone named in the caption or on the same page, earns half a point.
How we score · Something wrong, or has the town made a change? Email info@massvoter.com and we’ll re-check.
A monthly email on its votes, starting in November. We'll also tell you if this score changes.
Board years
Coming up
No upcoming meeting is posted yet. Check the official calendar →
Under the state Open Meeting Law, boards post notice at least 48 hours ahead, not counting weekends and legal holidays.
What Town Meeting decided
In Ashland, 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.
Annual Town Meeting · May 6, 2026 10 votes: 8 passed, 1 failed, 1 no action
Sessions: May 6, 2026; adjourned to June 3, 2026 (dissolved, no further votes)
- Art. 1 Hear reports of town committees No action “There was no vote required so the meeting moved on.”
- Art. 2 Transfer $1,640,256 from the General Stabilization Fund to support the FY2027 budget Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 2: Motion passed overwhelmingly by the required two-thirds majority.”
- Art. 3 Transfer $300,000 from the Special Education Stabilization Fund to the General Fund Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 3: Motion passed overwhelmingly by the required two-thirds majority.”
- Art. 4 Adopt FY2027 budget: raise $85,243,865 for the General Fund plus water, sewer, trash and other enterprise budgets Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 4: Passed”
- Art. 5 Transfer $375,000 to the OPEB (retiree health) Trust Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 5: Passed”
- Art. 6 Annual consent article: grants, road contracts, multi-year contracts, lease-purchase, revolving fund limits and more Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 6: The Moderator declared a 2/3 vote”
- Art. 7 Community Preservation Act consent article: FY2027 CPA appropriations Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 7: Passed”
- Art. 8 Buy or take by eminent domain 11.4 acres at 41 Lincoln Road for the Town Forest (up to $845,000 plus $40,000 in CPA funds) Failed “The motion failed to achieve a majority and therefore failed. · Yes: 140 No: 157”
- Art. 9 Add Secondary Suite rules to the Building Construction bylaw (Chapter 98) Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 9: Passed”
- Art. 10 Amend zoning section 9.6 Design Plan Review (committee makeup and where review applies) Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 10: The Moderator declared a 2/3 majority”
Source: Town Clerk: Annual Town Meeting minutes, May 6, 2026 (Agenda Center PDF).
Special Town Meeting (STM1) · November 19, 2025 17 votes: 12 passed, 5 withdrawn
- Art. 17 Citizen petition: resolution against town business with Musk-owned companies (petitioners asked to withdraw) Withdrawn “VOTE ON ARTICLE 17: Passed unanimously”
- Art. 1 Transfer $3,022,461 from free cash to stabilization, OPEB, special education stabilization and capital accounts Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 1: Passed unanimously”
- Art. 2 Amend FY2026 budget: net increase of $154,236 (schools, conservation, inspections, treasurer; Keefe Tech reduced) Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 2: Passed unanimously”
- Art. 3 Set senior property tax exemption (Clause 41C1/2) at 12% for FY2026 Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 3: Passed Unanimously”
- Art. 4 Appropriate CPA funds to create Nature’s Edge at MetroWest YMCA Withdrawn “WITHDRAWN: No action required.”
- Art. 5 Appropriate up to $40,000 in CPA funds for Town Forest survey work and appraisals Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 5: Passed unanimously”
- Art. 6 Appropriate CPA funds to buy 11 acres for the Town Forest Withdrawn “WITHDRAWN: No action required.”
- Art. 7 Appropriate up to $50,000 in CPA funds for invasive plant management at Beaverdam Brook conservation area Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 7: Passed unanimously”
- Art. 8 Appropriate up to $25,000 in CPA funds to replace the high school softball field surface Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 8: Passed unanimously”
- Art. 9 Accept MGL c. 272 s. 73A to allow removal of gravestones for repair by approved teams Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 9: Passed unanimously”
- Art. 10 Accept MGL c. 138 s. 12D to allow trading wine and malt licenses for all-alcohol licenses Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 10: Passed unanimously”
- Art. 11 Update In-law bylaw Withdrawn “WITHDRAWN: No action required.”
- Art. 12 Amend Dog Kennel and animal control bylaw (Chapter 87) Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 12: Passed unanimously”
- Art. 13 Add Municipal Tax Payment Agreement bylaw (MGL c. 60 s. 62A) Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 13: Passed unanimously”
- Art. 14 Accept Donnelly gift parcel (moved to STM2 because of a drafting error) Withdrawn “WITHDRAWN: No action required.”
- Art. 15 Allow a conservation restriction with The Trustees of Reservations on up to 27 acres gifted near Pond Street Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 15: Passed unanimously”
- Art. 16 Resolution endorsing the 2025 Comprehensive Plan, Envision Ashland Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 16: Passed unanimously”
Special Town Meeting (STM2) · November 19, 2025 1 votes: 1 passed
Sessions: November 19, 2025 (one-article warrant, held the same night as STM1)
- Art. 1 Acquire 14.26 acres at 0 Oregon Road (Donnelly gift parcel) to expand the Town Forest Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 1: Passed unanimously”
Annual Town Meeting · May 7, 2025 20 votes: 16 passed, 1 failed, 2 withdrawn, 1 no action
- Art. 1 Hear reports of town committees No action “There was no vote required so the meeting moved on.”
- Art. 3 Transfer $300,000 from the Special Education Stabilization Fund to the General Fund Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 3: Passed unanimously”
- Art. 4 Adopt FY2026 budget: raise $79,331,386 for the General Fund plus water, sewer, trash and other enterprise budgets Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 4: Passed unanimously”
- Art. 2 Transfer $2,256,720 from the General Stabilization Fund to support the FY2026 budget Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 2: The Moderator declared a 2/3 vote.”
- Art. 5 Transfer $375,000 to the OPEB (retiree health) Trust Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 5: Passed unanimously”
- Art. 6 Annual consent article: grants, road contracts, multi-year contracts, lease-purchase, revolving fund limits and more Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 6: Passed unanimously”
- Art. 7 Community Preservation Act consent article: FY2026 CPA appropriations and bond payments Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 7: Passed”
- Art. 8 Appropriate $500,000 in CPA funds to create the Ashland Arboretum Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 8: Passed unanimously”
- Art. 9 Appropriate up to $110,000 in CPA funds to digitize town records for historic preservation Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 9: Passed unanimously”
- Art. 10 Appropriate up to $60,000 in CPA funds for Ashland Bark Park (dog park) improvements Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 10: Passed”
- Art. 11 Accept Sec. 40 of Ch. 653 of the Acts of 1989 to tax new construction finished Jan. 1-June 30 in the current year Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 11: Passed Unanimously”
- Art. 12 Borrow $2,000,000 more for the water treatment plant ozone system replacement Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 12: Passed unanimously”
- Art. 13 Borrow $3,000,000 more for water main replacement projects Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 13: Passed unanimously”
- Art. 14 Borrow $1,214,000 for sewer infiltration and inflow improvements (MWRA program) Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 14: Passed unanimously”
- Art. 15 Create a Local Historic District (Ashland Centre) and Historic District Commission bylaw Failed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 15: Failed (111-66) · 111-66”
- Art. 16 Buy or take land at 81 and 0 Pond Street for a multi-modal trail Withdrawn “WITHDRAWN: No action required.”
- Art. 17 Replace zoning section 7.6 with a new Accessory Dwelling Unit bylaw Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 17: Passed unanimously”
- Art. 18 Replace zoning section 8.1 Floodplain Overlay District Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 18: Passed unanimously”
- Art. 19 Amend site plan review procedures (zoning section 9.4.5.3) to require a public hearing Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 19: Passed unanimously.”
- Art. 20 Amend Dog Kennel bylaw (Chapter 87) Withdrawn “WITHDRAWN: No action needed.”
Source: Town Clerk: Annual Town Meeting minutes, May 7, 2025, True Copy Attest (Agenda Center PDF).
Special Town Meeting · November 19, 2024 9 votes: 8 passed, 1 withdrawn
- Art. 1 Transfer $2,792,803 from free cash to stabilization, OPEB, special education stabilization and capital accounts Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 1: Article 1 passed unanimously”
- Art. 2 Raise FY2025 capital outlay budget by $1,033,925 to $3,723,925 Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 2: Article 2 passed unanimously”
- Art. 3 Set senior property tax exemption (Clause 41C1/2) at 12% Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 3: Article 3 passed unanimously”
- Art. 4 Correct a lot number in the May 2024 vote accepting a gift of land (Map 18 to Map 27 Lot 0100) Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 4: Article 4 passed unanimously”
- Art. 5 Borrow $1,000,000 for water main replacement projects Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 5: Article 5 passed unanimously”
- Art. 6 Appropriate up to $18,750 in CPA funds for a Waushakum Pond restoration study with Framingham Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 6: Article 6 passed unanimously”
- Art. 7 Add a new Blight bylaw (Chapter 266) Withdrawn “VOTE ON ARTICLE 7: Withdrawn”
- Art. 8 Add MBTA Communities Multi-family Overlay District to zoning bylaw and map Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 8: Article 8 passed”
- Art. 9 Buy or take about 52 acres at 0 Winter Street for the Town Forest, paid from the capital account Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 9: Article 9 passed unanimously”
Source: Town Clerk: Special Town Meeting minutes, November 19, 2024, True Copy Attest (Agenda Center PDF).
Annual Town Meeting · May 1, 2024 14 votes: 11 passed, 1 passed as amended, 2 no action
- Art. 1 Hear reports of town committees No action “There was no vote required so the meeting moved on to Article 2.”
- Art. 2 Adopt the FY2025 balanced budget of $94,027,947 Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 2: Passed unanimously”
- Art. 3 Transfer $350,000 to the OPEB (retiree health) Trust Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 3: Passed unanimously”
- Art. 4 Transfer $250,000 from the Special Education Stabilization Fund to the General Fund Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 4: Passed unanimously.”
- Art. 5 Annual consent article: grants, road contracts, multi-year contracts, lease-purchase, revolving fund limits, easements Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 5: Passed unanimously”
- Art. 6 Community Preservation Act consent article: FY2025 CPA appropriations and CPA bond payments Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 6: Passed unanimously”
- Art. 14 Zoning bylaw for MBTA Communities multi-family housing No action “Town Meeting can’t consider the article and no action will be taken on it.”
- Art. 7 Appropriate $40,000 in CPA funds to paint and preserve the Library interior Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 7: Passed unanimously”
- Art. 8 Accept gift of land from the Hopkinton Land Trust (Map 18 lots) for conservation and municipal use Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 8: Passed unanimously”
- Art. 9 Raise 2022 borrowing for Middle School locker rooms and fire tower truck by $264,092.27 to $1,964,092.27 Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 9: The Moderator declared a 2/3 majority.”
- Art. 10 Reauthorize Public Safety Building borrowing to include land acquisition Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 10: Passed unanimously”
- Art. 11 Borrow $4,000,000 to replace the ozone system at the Howe Street water treatment plant Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 11: Passed unanimously”
- Art. 12 Amend Demolition Delay bylaw for historically or architecturally significant buildings Passed as amended “VOTE ON ARTICLE 12: Passed”
- Art. 13 Adopt the Specialized Energy Code in the General Bylaws (effective January 1, 2025) Passed “VOTE ON ARTICLE 13: Passed”
Source: Town Clerk: Annual Town Meeting minutes, May 1, 2024, True Copy Attest (Agenda Center PDF).
Not here yet: The November 10, 2026 Special Town Meeting has not happened yet.
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).
Members
ChairBrandi KinsmanChair · At-large · at 10 of 10 meetings
Vice-ChairClaudia BennettVice Chair · At-large · at 9 of 10 meetings
Yolanda GreavesMember · At-large · at 9 of 10 meetings
Makeda KeeganClerk · At-large · at 9 of 10 meetings
Joseph MagnaniMember · At-large · at 10 of 10 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.
Attendance
22 full-board meetings so far this year, through September 23. Ties share a rank.
1Brandi Kinsman22 of 22 meetings Every meeting100%2Claudia Bennett21 of 22 meetings95%2Joseph Magnani21 of 22 meetings95%4Makeda Keegan20 of 22 meetings91%5Yolanda Greaves19 of 22 meetings86%24 full-board meetings in 2025. Ties share a rank.
1Brandi Kinsman24 of 24 meetings Every meeting100%2Claudia Bennett23 of 24 meetings96%2Makeda Keegan23 of 24 meetings96%2Joseph Magnani23 of 24 meetings96%5Yolanda Greaves22 of 24 meetings92%27 full-board meetings in 2024. Ties share a rank.
1Brandi Kinsman26 of 27 meetings96%1Joseph Magnani26 of 27 meetings96%3Makeda Keegan13 of 14 meetings · served from May93%4Claudia Bennett25 of 27 meetings93%4Yolanda Greaves25 of 27 meetings93%6Robert Scherer12 of 13 meetings · served until May92%29 full-board meetings in 2023. Ties share a rank.
1Brandi Kinsman29 of 29 meetings Every meeting100%2Joseph Magnani28 of 29 meetings97%3Claudia Bennett15 of 16 meetings · served from May94%4Steve Mitchell12 of 13 meetings · served until May92%5Yolanda Greaves26 of 29 meetings90%5Robert Scherer26 of 29 meetings90%28 full-board meetings in 2022. Ties share a rank.
1Brandi Kinsman28 of 28 meetings Every meeting100%2Yolanda Greaves27 of 28 meetings96%3Joseph Magnani26 of 28 meetings93%3Steve Mitchell26 of 28 meetings93%3Robert Scherer26 of 28 meetings93%26 full-board meetings in 2021. Ties share a rank.
1Yolanda Greaves25 of 26 meetings96%1Brandi Kinsman25 of 26 meetings96%1Joseph Magnani25 of 26 meetings96%1Steve Mitchell25 of 26 meetings96%5Robert Scherer24 of 26 meetings92%33 full-board meetings in 2020. Ties share a rank.
1Yolanda Greaves33 of 33 meetings Every meeting100%1Joseph Magnani33 of 33 meetings Every meeting100%1Steve Mitchell33 of 33 meetings Every meeting100%4Brandi Kinsman32 of 33 meetings97%5Robert Scherer31 of 33 meetings94%26 full-board meetings in 2019. Ties share a rank.
1Yolanda Greaves24 of 26 meetings92%1Joseph Magnani24 of 26 meetings92%1Brandi Kinsman12 of 13 meetings · served from Jun92%4Steve Mitchell23 of 26 meetings88%4Robert Scherer23 of 26 meetings88%25 full-board meetings in 2018. Ties share a rank.
1Yolanda Greaves25 of 25 meetings Every meeting100%2Joseph Magnani24 of 25 meetings96%2Robert Scherer24 of 25 meetings96%4Steve Mitchell23 of 25 meetings92%5Carl Hakansson19 of 21 meetings · served until Oct90%From the official minutes: full-board meetings only (committee meetings are not counted). Members are counted only for meetings held while they served, and arriving late counts as attending. The minutes rarely say why a member was absent.
A monthly email on its votes and who was there, starting in November.
Meetings
About missing minutes
Loaded: Ashland Select Board minutes from January 3, 2018 through September 23, 2026: 240 meetings and 1,669 votes. The town’s Agenda Center has the board’s minutes from 2008 on; MassVoter loaded 2018 on. The board was the Board of Selectmen until June 5, 2019, when it voted 3-2 to call itself the Select Board; its minutes are headed “Select Board” from June 19, 2019. Nearly all minutes are posted as scanned images, usually together with the meeting packet; MassVoter read the minutes pages with text recognition and checked names and counts against the page images where they were unclear. Not here: executive-session minutes (including released executive-session minutes posted on separate rows); the board’s sub-committees (Scholarship, BAA and community grant review, Valentine Property, Upper Charles Trail); cancelled meetings and public forums where no votes were taken; votes of the Planning Board, Board of Health, School Committee and Finance Committee at joint and Tri-Board meetings (only the Select Board members’ votes are shown, and joint votes with one combined count show the result only); the file posted as the November 28, 2018 minutes, which is another meeting’s minutes; and meetings with an agenda but no posted minutes (August 9, 2018; December 10, 2018; June 29, 2020; January 4, 2022; September 23, 2024; the March 1 and April 5, 2025 Tri-Board meetings; September 30, 2025; the October 23, 2025 joint meeting with the Planning Board, whose minutes the board approved on December 3, 2025; November 19, 2025; the February 2, 2026 budget workshop; the March 10, 2026 Tri-Board meeting; May 28, 2026; and the August 5, 2026 budget workshop). Minutes after September 23, 2026 are not posted yet. Ashland’s minutes name the mover and seconder and end each motion with a count (“Vote: 5-0-0. Motion approved.”); a count that equals the members present, with no one voting no or abstaining, is shown as each of them voting yes. When members take part remotely, and at every 2020–2021 remote meeting, votes are roll calls naming each member (“Greaves-aye, Kinsman-aye, Magnani-aye ...”), shown by name. Members who vote no or abstain are named: from 2018 to 2022 in brackets after the count (“with a vote of 4-1-0 (Magnani)”, the minority side), and since 2023 with a label (“Vote: 4-1-0. Motion approved (J. Magnani, opposed)”). Members out of the room, recused or not yet arrived are not shown in those votes. Where the count and the members present or named do not match, we show the count only (15 votes); where the minutes give the result alone, we show the result only (6 votes). A motion with no recorded outcome is not counted as a vote. 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.
Sep 16Unsuspend the hearing and move forwardMotion: Motion: Ms. Greaves motioned to unsuspend the hearing and move forward;…Passed Unanimous, 5 present · see note
September 16, 2026: Unsuspend the hearing and move forward
Motion: Ms. Greaves motioned to unsuspend the hearing and move forward; the motion was approved by Ms. Bennett. Vote: 5-0-0. Motion approved by rollcall vote (Greaves-aye, Keegan-aye, Bennett-aye, Kinsman-aye, Magnani-aye).
The minutes say the motion “was approved by Ms. Bennett” where a seconder is usually named, so no seconder is shown.
From the minutes
“Motion: Ms. Greaves motioned to unsuspend the hearing and move forward; the motion was approved by Ms. Bennett. Vote: 5-0-0. Motion approved by rollcall vote (Greaves-aye, Keegan-aye, Bennett-aye, Kinsman-aye, Magnani-aye)..” (Motion: Greaves)
From the Ashland Select Board’s official minutes, posted in the town’s Agenda Center (Select Board). We check every vote against the Select Board members present and quote the exact wording. MassVoter never grades or scores officials. Photos (the town’s website has no Select Board photos): WACA-TV Ashland videos — Brandi Kinsman (July 2026), Makeda Keegan (September 2026), Joseph Magnani (May 2026), Yolanda Greaves (May 2025) and Claudia Bennett (March 2025). Cropped by MassVoter. Former members show initials.
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