MassVoter.com← BedfordMunicipal votes · 2023–2024 Board
Bedford Select Board
How the Bedford Select Board voted, from the Select Board’s official minutes. 5 Select Board members elected townwide for three-year terms. Paul Mortenson joined the board after the March 11, 2023 town election (first meeting March 13, 2023), succeeding Edward Pierce; Bopha Malone was re-elected. On March 13, 2023 the board unanimously chose Bopha Malone as Chair and Shawn Hanegan as Clerk. Margot Fleischman’s last meeting was March 1, 2024. Covers 26 meetings, March 13 to March 1, 2024.
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
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.
Members
Margot FleischmanMember · At-large · at 23 of 26 meetings
Shawn HaneganClerk · At-large · at 26 of 26 meetingsEmily MitchellMember · At-large · at 25 of 26 meetings
Paul MortensonMember · At-large · at 26 of 26 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: Bedford Select Board minutes from January 6, 2020 through September 14, 2026: 191 meetings and 1,763 votes. Nothing before 2020 is online: the town’s Agenda Center starts in January 2020, and the Select Board page says older meeting minutes are available on request. The minutes call the board the Board of Selectmen through March 11, 2020 and the Select Board from March 18, 2020 on. All the minutes loaded are typed documents with searchable text. Not here: executive-session minutes (including released executive-session minutes that a few 2020-2022 files append after the open-session minutes); votes of the Finance Committee, Board of Assessors and Fire Station Building Committee at joint meetings; meetings with an agenda but no posted minutes (among them December 12 and December 18, 2023, March 25, 2024, August 5, 2024 (the file posted for that date is a copy of the September 9, 2024 minutes), October 28, 2024 and November 3, 2025); and meetings after September 14, 2026 (the October 5, 2026 minutes are not posted yet). Bedford’s minutes name the mover and seconder and give the count (“The motion passed 5-0-0”); a count that matches the members present with no no votes is shown as every member present voting yes. In 2020 and 2021, and whenever a member takes part remotely, the board votes by roll call (“Ms. Fleischman aye; Ms. Mitchell aye …”), shown by name. When a member votes no or abstains the minutes sometimes name the member (“passed with a 3-2-0 vote: Mr. Mortenson and Ms. Malone voting nay”); where a split count names no one we show the count only, with a note (36 votes), and where the minutes give no count or names we show the result only (7 votes). Members who recused themselves are not shown in that vote; members who arrived late or left early are shown only in the votes they were there for. A motion with no recorded outcome (for example “moved to adjourn” followed only by “The meeting adjourned”) is not counted as a vote. In October 2025 and March 2026 the minutes record some Town Meeting article votes only in a table; those rows are shown as votes. 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.
Jan 22Approve consent agendaMotion: Mr. Hanegan moved that the Select Board approve consent agenda. Ms.…Passed 3–0 · Abstained: Mitchell
January 22, 2024: Approve consent agenda
Mr. Hanegan moved that the Select Board approve consent agenda. Ms. Malone seconded. The motion passed 3-0-1, with Ms. Mitchell abstaining because she submitted the temporary sign application on behalf of the BHS Musical.
Yes: Hanegan, Malone, MortensonAbstained: Mitchell
From the minutes
“Mr. Hanegan moved that the Select Board approve consent agenda. Ms. Malone seconded. The motion passed 3-0-1, with Ms. Mitchell abstaining because she submitted the temporary sign application on behalf of the BHS Musical..” (Motion: Hanegan, second: Malone)
Jan 16Approve the consent agendaMotion: Ms. Mitchell moved to approve the consent agenda. Mr. Hanegan seconded.…Passed 4–1 · No: Mortenson
January 16, 2024: Approve the consent agenda
Ms. Mitchell moved to approve the consent agenda. Mr. Hanegan seconded. Roll Call Vote: Ms. Fleischman-Aye, Mr. Mortenson-Nay, Mr. Hanegan-Aye, Ms. Mitchell-Aye, Ms. Malone-Aye. The motion passed 4-1-0.
Yes: Fleischman, Hanegan, Malone, MitchellNo: Mortenson
From the minutes
“Ms. Mitchell moved to approve the consent agenda. Mr. Hanegan seconded. Roll Call Vote: Ms. Fleischman-Aye, Mr. Mortenson-Nay, Mr. Hanegan-Aye, Ms. Mitchell-Aye, Ms. Malone-Aye. The motion passed 4-1-0..” (Motion: Mitchell, second: Hanegan)
Oct 10Approve the contract with Woodard & Curran in the…Motion: Ms. Mitchell move that the Town approve the contract with Woodard…Passed 4–0 · see note
October 10, 2023: Approve the contract with Woodard & Curran in the amount of $90,000 as described in the Public Works memo dated September 27, 2023
Ms. Mitchell move that the Town approve the contract with Woodard & Curran in the amount of $90,000 as described in the Public Works memo dated September 27, 2023. Mr. Hanegan seconded. The motion passed 4-0-0.
Yes: Hanegan, Malone, Mitchell, MortensonMargot Fleischman arrived at 8:03 p.m., after this vote, and is not shown voting.
From the minutes
“Ms. Mitchell move that the Town approve the contract with Woodard & Curran in the amount of $90,000 as described in the Public Works memo dated September 27, 2023. Mr. Hanegan seconded. The motion passed 4-0-0..” (Motion: Mitchell, second: Hanegan)
Oct 10Approve the contract with Woodard & Curran in the…Motion: Mr. Mortenson move that the Town approve the contract with Woodard…Passed 4–0 · see note
October 10, 2023: Approve the contract with Woodard & Curran in the amount of $125,000 as described in the Public Works memo dated October 3, 2023
Mr. Mortenson move that the Town approve the contract with Woodard & Curran in the amount of $125,000 as described in the Public Works memo dated October 3, 2023. Mr. Hanegan seconded. The motion passed 4-0-0.
Yes: Hanegan, Malone, Mitchell, MortensonMargot Fleischman arrived at 8:03 p.m., after this vote, and is not shown voting.
From the minutes
“Mr. Mortenson move that the Town approve the contract with Woodard & Curran in the amount of $125,000 as described in the Public Works memo dated October 3, 2023. Mr. Hanegan seconded. The motion passed 4-0-0..” (Motion: Mortenson, second: Hanegan)
Oct 10Appoint Ray Gilmartin to the Trails Committee with a…Motion: Mr. Hanegan moved that the Select Board appoint Ray Gilmartin to…Passed 4–0 · see note
October 10, 2023: Appoint Ray Gilmartin to the Trails Committee with a term to expire June 30, 2024, and authorize the Town Manager to sign the letter on behalf of the Select Board
Mr. Hanegan moved that the Select Board appoint Ray Gilmartin to the Trails Committee with a term to expire June 30, 2024, and authorize the Town Manager to sign the letter on behalf of the Select Board. Ms. Mitchell seconded. The motion passed 4-0-0.
Yes: Hanegan, Malone, Mitchell, MortensonMargot Fleischman arrived at 8:03 p.m., after this vote, and is not shown voting.
From the minutes
“Mr. Hanegan moved that the Select Board appoint Ray Gilmartin to the Trails Committee with a term to expire June 30, 2024, and authorize the Town Manager to sign the letter on behalf of the Select Board. Ms. Mitchell seconded. The motion passed 4-0-0..” (Motion: Hanegan, second: Mitchell)
Oct 10Appoint Mason Benam to the Bicycle Advisory Committee with…Motion: Mr. Mortenson moved that the Select Board appoint Mason Benam to…Passed 4–0 · see note
October 10, 2023: Appoint Mason Benam to the Bicycle Advisory Committee with a term to expire June 30, 2026, and authorize the Town Manager to sign the letter on behalf of the Select…
Mr. Mortenson moved that the Select Board appoint Mason Benam to the Bicycle Advisory Committee with a term to expire June 30, 2026, and authorize the Town Manager to sign the letter on behalf of the Select Board. Ms. Mitchell seconded. The motion passed 4-0-0.
Yes: Hanegan, Malone, Mitchell, MortensonMargot Fleischman arrived at 8:03 p.m., after this vote, and is not shown voting.
From the minutes
“Mr. Mortenson moved that the Select Board appoint Mason Benam to the Bicycle Advisory Committee with a term to expire June 30, 2026, and authorize the Town Manager to sign the letter on behalf of the Select Board. Ms. Mitchell seconded. The motion passed 4-0-0..” (Motion: Mortenson, second: Mitchell)
Oct 10Appoint Wayne Springer to the Bedford Tricentennial Committee with…Motion: Ms. Mitchell moved that the Select Board appoint Wayne Springer to…Passed 4–0 · see note
October 10, 2023: Appoint Wayne Springer to the Bedford Tricentennial Committee with a term to expire June 30, 2024, and authorize the Town Manager to sign the letter on behalf of the Select…
Ms. Mitchell moved that the Select Board appoint Wayne Springer to the Bedford Tricentennial Committee with a term to expire June 30, 2024, and authorize the Town Manager to sign the letter on behalf of the Select Board. Mr. Hanegan seconded. The motion passed 4-0-0.
Yes: Hanegan, Malone, Mitchell, MortensonMargot Fleischman arrived at 8:03 p.m., after this vote, and is not shown voting.
From the minutes
“Ms. Mitchell moved that the Select Board appoint Wayne Springer to the Bedford Tricentennial Committee with a term to expire June 30, 2024, and authorize the Town Manager to sign the letter on behalf of the Select Board. Mr. Hanegan seconded. The motion passed 4-0-0..” (Motion: Mitchell, second: Hanegan)
Oct 10Appoint Kim Lovy to the Bedford Municipal Affordable Housing…Motion: Mr. Mortenson moved that the Select Board appoint Kim Lovy to…Passed 4–0 · see note
October 10, 2023: Appoint Kim Lovy to the Bedford Municipal Affordable Housing Trust with a term to expire June 30, 2025, and authorize the Town Manager to sign the letter on behalf of…
Mr. Mortenson moved that the Select Board appoint Kim Lovy to the Bedford Municipal Affordable Housing Trust with a term to expire June 30, 2025, and authorize the Town Manager to sign the letter on behalf of the Select Board. Mr. Hanegan seconded. The motion passed 4-0-0.
Yes: Hanegan, Malone, Mitchell, MortensonMargot Fleischman arrived at 8:03 p.m., after this vote, and is not shown voting.
From the minutes
“Mr. Mortenson moved that the Select Board appoint Kim Lovy to the Bedford Municipal Affordable Housing Trust with a term to expire June 30, 2025, and authorize the Town Manager to sign the letter on behalf of the Select Board. Mr. Hanegan seconded. The motion passed 4-0-0..” (Motion: Mortenson, second: Hanegan)
Oct 10Disband the Town Manager Screening Committee, effective immediatelyMotion: Ms. Mitchell moved that the Select Board disband the Town Manager…Passed 4–0 · see note
October 10, 2023: Disband the Town Manager Screening Committee, effective immediately
Ms. Mitchell moved that the Select Board disband the Town Manager Screening Committee, effective immediately. Mr. Mortenson seconded. The motion passed 4-0-0.
Yes: Hanegan, Malone, Mitchell, MortensonMargot Fleischman arrived at 8:03 p.m., after this vote, and is not shown voting.
From the minutes
“Ms. Mitchell moved that the Select Board disband the Town Manager Screening Committee, effective immediately. Mr. Mortenson seconded. The motion passed 4-0-0..” (Motion: Mitchell, second: Mortenson)
Oct 10Endorse the amended plan as presented, noting the transcription…Motion: Ms. Fleischman moved to endorse the amended plan as presented, noting…Passed 3–0 · see note
October 10, 2023: Endorse the amended plan as presented, noting the transcription error that Mr. DeVellis mentioned, with the condition that the DHCD approves the deed restriction of 55+ plus and the east…
Ms. Fleischman moved to endorse the amended plan as presented, noting the transcription error that Mr. DeVellis mentioned, with the condition that the DHCD approves the deed restriction of 55+ plus and the east parcel. Ms. Mitchell seconded. The motion passed 3-0-0.
Yes: Fleischman, Hanegan, MitchellBopha Malone had left the meeting before this vote and is not shown voting. Paul Mortenson had left the meeting before this vote and is not shown voting.
From the minutes
“Ms. Fleischman moved to endorse the amended plan as presented, noting the transcription error that Mr. DeVellis mentioned, with the condition that the DHCD approves the deed restriction of 55+ plus and the east parcel. Ms. Mitchell seconded. The motion passed 3-0-0..” (Motion: Fleischman, second: Mitchell)
From the Bedford 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): The Bedford Citizen — Paul Mortenson and Bopha Malone (Piper Pavelich, February 2026), Terrence Parker and Shawn Hanegan (Wayne Braverman, January 2025), Daniel Brosgol (December 2023). Cropped by MassVoter. Former members show initials.
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