How the Carver Select Board voted, from the Select Board’s official minutes. 5 Select Board members elected townwide. Mark Townsend joined the board after the spring 2018 town election; Helen Marrone left. On May 15, 2018 the board chose Alan Dunham as Chair and Ronald Clarke as Vice Chair (each 5-0). On January 15, 2019 Dunham resigned as Chair; the board then chose Clarke as Chair and Dave Robertson as Vice Chair. Covers 20 meetings, May 15 to April 16, 2019.
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.
From the agendas Carver posts on its official site. Agendas can change; the posted agenda is the official one.
What Town Meeting decided
In Carver, 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.
Special Town Meeting · April 7, 2026 2 votes: 2 passed
Art. 9Set revolving fund spending limits and add a Council on Aging (GATRA) revolving fund with a $250,000 limitPassed“PASSES · 115 YES/ 6 NO”
Art. 10Community Preservation FY2027 budget of $932,000, incl. $50,000 for 44 Lakeview Street and $2,500 for 250th anniversary flagsPassed“PASSES · 108 YES/ 11 NO”
Art. 11Let the School Committee sign an agreement with state agencies for student transportation reimbursementPassed“PASSES · 111 YES/ 6 NO”
Art. 12Swap Town land off South Main Street with the South Carver Union Society, gaining land for Union CemeteryPassed“PASSES · 107 YES/ 7 NO”
Art. 2Add $9,268 to FY2026 Fire Department salaries; amended to take the sum from the Town Planner salary linePassed as amended“PASSES · 275 YES/65 NO”
Art. 3Appropriate $37,630.25 for alarms and chemical pumps at municipal and school wellsPassed“PASSES · 372 YES/44 NO”
Art. 4Accept veterans' property tax exemption for homes held in trust (Clause 22G)Passed“PASSES · 379 YES/40 NO”
Art. 5Approve a battery energy storage PILOT agreement with Cranberry Point Energy Storage, LLCPassed“PASSES · 347 YES/ 64 NO”
Art. 9Non-binding: recommend the regional refuse district start the process to sell the Rochester landfill propertyPassed“PASSES · 211 YES/ 37 NO”
Art. 10Non-binding: recommend starting the process to dissolve the Carver-Marion-Wareham Regional Refuse Disposal DistrictPassed“PASSES · 228 YES/ 21 NO”
Art. 11Citizen petition: rezone three Shoestring Road parcels from Residential-Agricultural to General Business and add them to the tourist overlay districtFailed“FAILS BY 2/3RDS VOTE · 33 YES/ 216 NO”
Art. 12Citizen petition: ask the Select Board to challenge the 40B affordable housing lawFailed“FAILS · 53 YES/ 104 NO”
Art. 2Transfer $1,675,918 from free cash to reserves and funds (stabilization, OPEB, water district subsidy and others)Passed“ARTICLE 2 PASSES · 138 YES/ 17 NO”
Art. 5ACapital budget part A: $1,300,000 from free cash for 18 items and $350,000 from ambulance receipts for a new ambulancePassed“PART A PASSES · 169 YES/ 25 NO”
Art. 26Zoning: raise minimum residential lot size from 60,000 to 80,000 sq. ft. and frontage from 150 to 200 feetFailed“ARTICLE 26 FAILS · 32 YES/ 115 NO”
Art. 4Capital improvements budget of $1,260,000 (fire, police, schools, IT, maintenance) from free cash, capital balances and solar revenuePassed“ARTICLE PASSES · 145 YES/18 NO”
Art. 6Community Preservation FY2025 budget: $1,004,750 in appropriations and reserves, incl. $105,425 for cleanup at 11 Green StreetPassed“ARTICLE PASSES · YES 146/12 NO”
Art. 8Raise the maximum senior and veteran tax work-off credit from $1,000 to $1,500Passed“PASSES · 157 YES/ 5 NO”
Art. 9Ask the Legislature to let the Town keep paying 75% (instead of 50%) of health insurance premiums for employees retiring after June 30, 2025Passed“PASSES · 127 YES/ 35 NO”
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: Select Board minutes from January 16, 2018 through September 8, 2026. Minutes from 2025 on come from the town’s online Agenda Center; earlier minutes come from the Select Board folder of the town’s Document Center, which holds minutes back to 2013 (MassVoter has loaded 2018 on). Not here: executive-session minutes; minutes of the board’s two-member subcommittee; minutes the town has not posted, including October 21, 2025, May 28, 2026 (an executive session) and July 9, 2026 (a dog hearing); and meetings after September 8, 2026. The archive holds fewer meetings for 2018 (16) and 2019 (24) than for later years, and none between August 15 and October 6, 2023. Most minutes are typed; 21 are scanned copies, which MassVoter read with text-recognition software and checked by hand. Carver’s minutes usually give a count such as “Vote 5-0” or “Vote 4 to 1 (Cotter)”; from mid-2024 many also list each member’s vote, and executive-session votes are roll calls. When the count matches the members present, we show every member present as voting yes, and when the minutes name the members who voted no or abstained, everyone else present as voting yes. Where the minutes give only a split count without names, list a member as absent who then makes or votes on motions, or the names and the count do not match, we show the count only and add a note. Votes taken by other boards at joint meetings (such as the Finance Committee and Planning Board), and joint votes of the Select Board with another board to fill a vacancy, are not included. We will ask the town to confirm any noted vote.
The roll call lists Alan Dunham, but the minutes show this member as not taking part (Alan Dunham is not on the attendance list). Individual votes are not shown. Sarah Hewins recused and did not take part in this vote.
From the minutes
“Motion to ratify above Dunham, second by Robertson. Roll Call: Clarke, Dunham, Robertson, Townsend - Hewins recused herself.” (second: Robertson)
The minutes record the vote as 5-0, but 4 members were present (Ronald Clarke, Dave Robertson, Sarah Hewins and Mark Townsend), so it is not clear how each member voted. The minutes say Alan Dunham made the motion, but Alan Dunham is not on the attendance list for this vote.
From the minutes
“Motion to appoint Stephen Cole and Bruce Maki made by Dunham, second by Robertson. Vote 5-0.” (second: Robertson)
The minutes record the vote as 5-0, but 4 members were present (Ronald Clarke, Dave Robertson, Sarah Hewins and Mark Townsend), so it is not clear how each member voted. The minutes say Alan Dunham made the motion, but Alan Dunham is not on the attendance list for this vote.
From the minutes
“Motion to recommend to vote on it as written by Dunham, second by Robertson. Vote 5-0.” (second: Robertson)
Apr 16Relative to this recommendation for discussion only: Dunham: Feels…Motion: relative to this recommendation for discussion only: Dunham: Feels that striking…Failed 2–3 · see note
April 16, 2019: Relative to this recommendation for discussion only: Dunham: Feels that striking that language would be taking away the residents prior votes Clarke: Believes that the residents at Town Meeting...
ApproveFailed · 2–3
Relative to this recommendation for discussion only: Dunham: Feels that striking that language would be taking away the residents prior votes Clarke: Believes that the residents at Town Meeting will be making the decisions, leaving the wording could condemn the station being built where the playground is currently Townsend: Residents at Town Meeting will have the opportunity to vote on this Hewins: Agrees with Dunham to leave the wording in, a promise was made to the residents Robertson: Feels the wording should stay in, he made a prior promise to the residents Clarke: Believes it makes a huge difference to have Town Meeting make this decision Vote to Strike the last line -
The minutes give the count (2-3) and name Ronald Clarke and Mark Townsend, but the names and the count do not match the members present (4 members were present), so individual votes are not shown. The minutes say Alan Dunham seconded it, but Alan Dunham is not on the attendance list for this vote.
From the minutes
“Motion relative to this recommendation by Townsend, second by Dunham for discussion only: Dunham: Feels that striking that language would be taking away the residents prior votes Clarke: Believes that the residents at Town Meeting will be making the decisions, leaving the wording could condemn the station being built where the playground is currently Townsend: Residents at Town Meeting will have the opportunity to vote on this Hewins: Agrees with Dunham to leave the wording in, a promise was made to the residents Robertson: Feels the wording should stay in, he made a prior promise to the residents Clarke: Believes it makes a huge difference to have Town Meeting make this decision Vote to Strike the last line - VOTE 2-3 (Clarke & Townsend for).” (Motion: Townsend)
The minutes record the vote as 5-0, but 4 members were present (Ronald Clarke, Dave Robertson, Sarah Hewins and Mark Townsend), so it is not clear how each member voted. The minutes say Alan Dunham made the motion, but Alan Dunham is not on the attendance list for this vote.
From the minutes
“Motion no action taken by Dunham, second by Townsend. VOTE 5-0.” (second: Townsend)
The minutes give the count (3-2) and name Alan Dunham and Mark Townsend, but the names and the count do not match the members present (Alan Dunham is not on the attendance list for this vote; 4 members were present), so individual votes are not shown.
From the minutes
“Motion by Robertson, second by Townsend for discussion only. VOTE 3-2 (Opposed Dunham & Townsend).” (Motion: Robertson, second: Townsend)
(The minutes do not give the wording of the motion.)
The minutes give the count (4-1) and name Sarah Hewins, but the names and the count do not match the members present (4 members were present), so individual votes are not shown. The minutes do not give the wording of this motion; the title is the agenda item it was made under. The minutes say Alan Dunham seconded it, but Alan Dunham is not on the attendance list for this vote.
From the minutes
“Motion by Townsend, second by Dunham. VOTE 4-1 (Hewins opposed).” (Motion: Townsend)
Apr 16Table: Approval of Town of Carver Cyber Use PolicyMotion: tablePassed 5–0 · see note
April 16, 2019: Table: Approval of Town of Carver Cyber Use Policy
ApprovePassed · 5–0
Table
The minutes record the vote as 5-0, but 4 members were present (Ronald Clarke, Dave Robertson, Sarah Hewins and Mark Townsend), so it is not clear how each member voted. The minutes say Alan Dunham made the motion, but Alan Dunham is not on the attendance list for this vote.
From the minutes
“Motion to table by Dunham, second by Robertson. VOTE 5-0.” (second: Robertson)
Apr 16Approve: Approval of Town of Carver Cyber Use PolicyMotion: approvePassed 5–0 · see note
April 16, 2019: Approve: Approval of Town of Carver Cyber Use Policy
ApprovePassed · 5–0
Approve
The minutes record the vote as 5-0, but 4 members were present (Ronald Clarke, Dave Robertson, Sarah Hewins and Mark Townsend), so it is not clear how each member voted. The minutes say Alan Dunham made the motion, but Alan Dunham is not on the attendance list for this vote.
From the minutes
“Motion to approve by Dunham, second by Townsend. VOTE 5-0.” (second: Townsend)
Approve proposed changes. Hewins asked how many homes would be affected by this bylaw. Hewins also asked what if someone needs a new roof but can't afford on. Hewins noted that we're an agricultural town and lots of old vehicles and machinery are used by farmers for parts. She also said One man's treasure is another man's trash. Hewins is not in agreement with the entire by-law since it may set up the town for potential lawsuits and it is up to a judgement call as well as depending on who is in the role of making the decisions. Dunham agreed
The minutes give only the count (3-1), not how each member voted.
From the minutes
“Motion to approve proposed changes by Dunham, second by Townsend. Hewins asked how many homes would be affected by this bylaw. Hewins also asked what if someone needs a new roof but can't afford on. Hewins noted that we're an agricultural town and lots of old vehicles and machinery are used by farmers for parts. She also said One man's treasure is another man's trash. Hewins is not in agreement with the entire by-law since it may set up the town for potential lawsuits and it is up to a judgement call as well as depending on who is in the role of making the decisions. Dunham agreed. Vote 3-1.” (Motion: Dunham, second: Townsend)
From the Carver Select Board’s official minutes, posted in the town’s Agenda Center (2025 on) and its Document Center archive (earlier years). We check every vote against the Select Board members present and quote the exact wording. MassVoter never grades or scores officials. Photos of current members: Mark Townsend and Sarah Hewins from Wareham Week (January 2026); Jim Elliman from Area 58 video of the October 6, 2026 Select Board meeting (identified by the nameplate in front of each member). Members without a photo show initials.