How the Ashland Select Board voted, from the Select Board’s official minutes. 5 Select Board members elected townwide for three-year terms. On June 5, 2024 the board chose Yolanda Greaves as Chair, Brandi Kinsman as Vice Chair and Joe Magnani as Clerk (all 5-0). Covers 21 meetings, June 5 to May 7, 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.
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. 4Adopt FY2027 budget: raise $85,243,865 for the General Fund plus water, sewer, trash and other enterprise budgetsPassed“VOTE ON ARTICLE 4: Passed”
Special Town Meeting (STM1) · November 19, 2025 17 votes: 12 passed, 5 withdrawn
Art. 17Citizen petition: resolution against town business with Musk-owned companies (petitioners asked to withdraw)Withdrawn“VOTE ON ARTICLE 17: Passed unanimously”
Art. 1Transfer $3,022,461 from free cash to stabilization, OPEB, special education stabilization and capital accountsPassed“VOTE ON ARTICLE 1: Passed unanimously”
Art. 2Amend FY2026 budget: net increase of $154,236 (schools, conservation, inspections, treasurer; Keefe Tech reduced)Passed“VOTE ON ARTICLE 2: Passed unanimously”
Art. 7Appropriate up to $50,000 in CPA funds for invasive plant management at Beaverdam Brook conservation areaPassed“VOTE ON ARTICLE 7: Passed unanimously”
Art. 15Allow a conservation restriction with The Trustees of Reservations on up to 27 acres gifted near Pond StreetPassed“VOTE ON ARTICLE 15: Passed unanimously”
Art. 4Adopt FY2026 budget: raise $79,331,386 for the General Fund plus water, sewer, trash and other enterprise budgetsPassed“VOTE ON ARTICLE 4: Passed unanimously”
Art. 10Appropriate up to $60,000 in CPA funds for Ashland Bark Park (dog park) improvementsPassed“VOTE ON ARTICLE 10: Passed”
Art. 11Accept Sec. 40 of Ch. 653 of the Acts of 1989 to tax new construction finished Jan. 1-June 30 in the current yearPassed“VOTE ON ARTICLE 11: Passed Unanimously”
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).
"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: 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.
Most board votes are unanimous. These are the ones where at least one member voted no or abstained, newest first.
Apr 16Suspend the hearing until we finish our conversationMotion: Motion: Mr. Magnani motioned to suspend the hearing until we finish…Passed 4–0 · see note
April 16, 2025: Suspend the hearing until we finish our conversation
ApprovePassed · 4–0
Motion: Mr. Magnani motioned to suspend the hearing until we finish our conversation, which was seconded by Ms. Kinsman. Vote: 4-0-0. (Ms. Keegan had stepped out during this vote.)
Yes: Bennett, Greaves, Kinsman, MagnaniThe minutes say Makeda Keegan was not present for this vote, so that member is not shown voting.
From the minutes
“Motion: Mr. Magnani motioned to suspend the hearing until we finish our conversation, which was seconded by Ms. Kinsman. Vote: 4-0-0. (Ms. Keegan had stepped out during this vote.).” (Motion: Magnani, second: Kinsman)
Mar 19Accept the response to the Open Meeting Law i…Motion: Motion: Ms. Kinsman motioned to accept the response to the Open…Passed 4–0 · Abstained: Keegan
March 19, 2025: Accept the response to the Open Meeting Law i complaint as presented by Town Counsel
ApprovePassed · 4–0
Motion: Ms. Kinsman motioned to accept the response to the Open Meeting Law i complaint as presented by Town Counsel; the motion was seconded by Mr. Magnani. Vote: 4-0-1. The motion was approved by rollcall vote (Ms. Keegan abstained as she was not a Select Board Member at that time).
“Motion: Ms. Kinsman motioned to accept the response to the Open Meeting Law i complaint as presented by Town Counsel; the motion was seconded by Mr. Magnani. Vote: 4-0-1. The motion was approved by rollcall vote (Ms. Keegan abstained as she was not a Select Board Member at that time)..” (Motion: Kinsman, second: Magnani)
Feb 19Appoint Maurice Krasner to the vacant seat on the…Motion: Motion: Mr. Burman motioned to appoint Maurice Krasner to the vacant…Passed Unanimous, 4 present · see note
February 19, 2025: Appoint Maurice Krasner to the vacant seat on the Board of Health
AppointPassed · Unanimous, 4 present
Motion: Mr. Burman motioned to appoint Maurice Krasner to the vacant seat on the Board of Health which was seconded by Ms. Sekesogundu. Vote: 8-0-0. Motion approved.
A joint vote of the Select Board and the Board of Health to fill a Board of Health vacancy: “Vote: 8-0-0.” The four Board of Health members at the table (Ed Burman, Jay Byrnes, David Kinsman and Barbara Sekesogundu) and the four Select Board members present make eight, with no one voting no or abstaining, so each Select Board member present is shown voting yes. The motion was made by Mr. Burman, who is not a member of the Select Board. It was seconded by Ms. Sekesogundu, who is not a member of the Select Board.
From the minutes
“Motion: Mr. Burman motioned to appoint Maurice Krasner to the vacant seat on the Board of Health which was seconded by Ms. Sekesogundu. Vote: 8-0-0. Motion approved..”
Feb 19Appoint Amanda Hayes as the fifth Planning Board Member…Motion: Motion: Ms. Kendall motioned to appoint Amanda Hayes as the fifth…Passed Unanimous, 4 present · see note
February 19, 2025: Appoint Amanda Hayes as the fifth Planning Board Member which will run to the election in May
AppointPassed · Unanimous, 4 present
Motion: Ms. Kendall motioned to appoint Amanda Hayes as the fifth Planning Board Member which will run to the election in May. The motion was seconded by Ms. Jurczyk. Vote: 7-0-0. Motion approved by rollcall vote (Venkat-aye, Jurezyk-aye, Kendall-aye, Keegan-aye, Bennett- aye, Kinsman-aye, Greaves-aye).
Joint vote of the Select Board and the other board at this joint meeting; only the Select Board members’ votes are shown. The motion was made by Ms. Kendall, who is not a member of the Select Board. It was seconded by Ms. Jurczyk, who is not a member of the Select Board.
From the minutes
“Motion: Ms. Kendall motioned to appoint Amanda Hayes as the fifth Planning Board Member which will run to the election in May. The motion was seconded by Ms. Jurczyk. Vote: 7-0-0. Motion approved by rollcall vote (Venkat-aye, Jurezyk-aye, Kendall-aye, Keegan-aye, Bennett- aye, Kinsman-aye, Greaves-aye)..”
Nov 19Appoint Ms. Greaves, Ms. Kinsman, Mr. Herbert and Ms.…Motion: Ms. Kinsman made a motion to appoint Ms. Greaves, Ms. Kinsman,…Passed 4–1 · No: Bennett
November 19, 2024: Appoint Ms. Greaves, Ms. Kinsman, Mr. Herbert and Ms. Ball
AppointPassed · 4–1
Ms. Kinsman made a motion to appoint Ms. Greaves, Ms. Kinsman, Mr. Herbert and Ms. Ball. Motion seconded by Ms. Keegan with a rollcall vote of Ms. Greaves-aye, Ms. Kinsman-aye, Mr. Magnani-aye, Ms. Keegan-aye and Ms. Bennett-nay 4-1
Yes: Greaves, Keegan, Kinsman, MagnaniNo: Bennett
From the minutes
“Ms. Kinsman made a motion to appoint Ms. Greaves, Ms. Kinsman, Mr. Herbert and Ms. Ball. Motion seconded by Ms. Keegan with a rollcall vote of Ms. Greaves-aye, Ms. Kinsman-aye, Mr. Magnani-aye, Ms. Keegan-aye and Ms. Bennett-nay 4-1.” (Motion: Kinsman, second: Keegan)
Motion: Mr. Magnani motioned to approve a single tax rate for FY2025, the motion was seconded by Ms. Bennett. Vote: 4-0-0. Motion approved.
Yes: Bennett, Keegan, Kinsman, MagnaniThe minutes say Yolanda Greaves arrived at 7:40 PM; the count (4-0-0) matches the 4 other members present, so Yolanda Greaves is not shown in this vote.
From the minutes
“Motion: Mr. Magnani motioned to approve a single tax rate for FY2025, the motion was seconded by Ms. Bennett. Vote: 4-0-0. Motion approved..” (Motion: Magnani, second: Bennett)
Motion: Mr. Magnani motioned to approve the consent agenda, which was seconded by Ms. Bennett. Vote: 4-0-0, Motion approved.
Yes: Bennett, Keegan, Kinsman, MagnaniThe minutes say Yolanda Greaves arrived at 7:40 PM; the count (4-0-0) matches the 4 other members present, so Yolanda Greaves is not shown in this vote.
From the minutes
“Motion: Mr. Magnani motioned to approve the consent agenda, which was seconded by Ms. Bennett. Vote: 4-0-0, Motion approved..” (Motion: Magnani, second: Bennett)
Oct 30Transfer the license with 80 cars as presentedMotion: Motion: Ms. Bennett motioned to transfer the license with 80 cars…Passed 4–0 · see note
October 30, 2024: Transfer the license with 80 cars as presented
ApprovePassed · 4–0
Motion: Ms. Bennett motioned to transfer the license with 80 cars as presented. The motion was seconded by Mr. Magnani. Vote: 4-0-0, Motion approved.
Yes: Bennett, Greaves, Keegan, MagnaniThe minutes say Brandi Kinsman arrived at 8:05 PM; the count (4-0-0) matches the 4 other members present, so Brandi Kinsman is not shown in this vote.
From the minutes
“Motion: Ms. Bennett motioned to transfer the license with 80 cars as presented. The motion was seconded by Mr. Magnani. Vote: 4-0-0, Motion approved..” (Motion: Bennett, second: Magnani)
Oct 16Close, sign and post the November 19" Special Town…Motion: Motion: Ms. Kinsman motioned to close, sign and post the November…Passed 4–0 · see note
October 16, 2024: Close, sign and post the November 19" Special Town Meeting Warrant
ApprovePassed · 4–0
Motion: Ms. Kinsman motioned to close, sign and post the November 19" Special Town Meeting Warrant, which was seconded by Ms. Bennett. . Vote: 4-0-0, Motion approved. (Mr. Magnani was absent during this vote.)
Yes: Bennett, Greaves, Keegan, KinsmanThe minutes say Joseph Magnani was not present for this vote (“Mr. Magnani was absent during this vote.”), so that member is not shown voting.
From the minutes
“Motion: Ms. Kinsman motioned to close, sign and post the November 19" Special Town Meeting Warrant, which was seconded by Ms. Bennett. . Vote: 4-0-0, Motion approved. (Mr. Magnani was absent during this vote.).” (Motion: Kinsman, second: Bennett)
Oct 16Sign and post the 20242 State Election Warrant for…Motion: Motion: Ms. Kinsman motioned to sign and post the 20242 State…Passed 4–0 · see note
October 16, 2024: Sign and post the 20242 State Election Warrant for November 5, 2024
ApprovePassed · 4–0
Motion: Ms. Kinsman motioned to sign and post the 20242 State Election Warrant for November 5, 2024, which was seconded by Ms. Bennett. Vote: 4-0-0. Motion approved. (Mr. Magnani was absent during this vote.)
Yes: Bennett, Greaves, Keegan, KinsmanThe minutes say Joseph Magnani was not present for this vote (“Mr. Magnani was absent during this vote.”), so that member is not shown voting.
From the minutes
“Motion: Ms. Kinsman motioned to sign and post the 20242 State Election Warrant for November 5, 2024, which was seconded by Ms. Bennett. Vote: 4-0-0. Motion approved. (Mr. Magnani was absent during this vote.).” (Motion: Kinsman, second: Bennett)
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.