How the Chatham Select Board voted, from the Select Board’s official minutes. 5 Select Board members elected townwide. Michael Schell joined the board after the May 19, 2022 town election, and Jeffrey Dykens was re-elected; Peter Cocolis left. At its reorganization on May 20, 2022 the board elected Jeffrey Dykens Chair, Cory Metters Vice Chair and Michael Schell Clerk. Covers 48 meetings, May 20 to May 9, 2023.
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.
In Chatham, 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 10, 2025 59 votes: 51 passed, 4 failed, 4 no action
Art. 1Annual Town Election (officers elected by ballot)No action“NO MOTION”
Art. 2Authorize appointment of officers and accept annual reportsPassed“So Voted Unanimously.”
Art. 3FY2025 budget adjustments: transfer $378,200, including $316,200 from free cash to the Affordable Housing TrustPassed“So Voted Unanimously.”
Not here yet: the May 11, 2026 Annual Town Meeting (the Town Clerk's minutes are not posted yet; only an unofficial scorecard is online).
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: 398 meetings from January 8, 2018 to September 15, 2026, with 4,081 votes, from the board’s official minutes on mytowngovernment.org/02633, the town’s minutes site. Not online: 21 meetings since January 2018 with no usable minutes online: for 8 the site says the minutes are “on record with the Town Clerk” (paper only), and for 13 the posted file is empty, belongs to another town or board, or is an attachment rather than the minutes. MassVoter is asking the Town Clerk for these. Released minutes of closed (executive) sessions are loaded as their own Special meetings in 5 cases: where they are the only minutes for that date (December 10, 2018; January 5, 2021; July 5, 2023) and the two sessions on the Town Manager’s contract (January 13 and February 17, 2026). At joint meetings only the Select Board’s own votes are shown; votes of the other board, including the Affordable Housing Trust trustees, are left out. How votes were read: Chatham’s minutes give each motion with its mover and seconder, then either a count (“Vote: 5-0”, sometimes naming who voted no or abstained) or, since 2020, a roll call with each member’s vote. A roll call, or a count that adds up to the members present with any no votes or abstentions named, shows each member’s vote (98% of votes). A count that does not add up, or does not say who voted no, is shown as a count only. Choices between nominees (each member names a person) show the result only, with the roll call quoted in the note. Members and officers for each year come from the board’s reorganization minutes. Discussion settled “by consensus”, without a vote, is not shown as a vote. We will ask the town to confirm any noted vote. On October 7, 2026 the Town Clerk’s office answered our questions about roll calls that did not match the members present (public records request #26-297): name typos, an attendance line that was not updated, roll calls with no votes written in, and the joint Affordable Housing Trust votes. The 24 votes affected now show each member’s vote, with the answer quoted in the vote’s note. Thank you to the Chatham Town Clerk’s office for its help.
Most board votes are unanimous. These are the ones where at least one member voted no or abstained, newest first.
May 9Grant a One Day Special permit for Wine and…Motion: to grant a One Day Special permit for Wine and Malt…Passed Unanimous, 4 present · see note
May 9, 2023 (Joint meeting): Grant a One Day Special permit for Wine and Malt Beverages Only for Saturday, June 3, 2023 from 4- 8 p.m. at 193 Main Street, Chatham to Melissa Miller
ApprovePassed · Unanimous, 4 present
To grant a One Day Special permit for Wine and Malt Beverages Only for Saturday, June 3, 2023 from 4- 8 p.m. at 193 Main Street, Chatham to Melissa Miller
Shareen Davis stepped aside (recused).
From the minutes
“Motion: by Dean Nicastro to grant a One Day Special permit for Wine and Malt Beverages Only for Saturday, June 3, 2023 from 4- 8 p.m. at 193 Main Street, Chatham to Melissa Miller. Second: by Cory Metters. Roll Call: Dean Nicastro: Yes Mike Schell: Yes Cory Metters: Yes Jeff Dykens: Yes.” (Motion: Nicastro, second: Metters)
May 9Grant a One Day Special permit for Wine &…Motion: to grant a One Day Special permit for Wine & Malt…Passed Unanimous, 4 present · see note
May 9, 2023 (Joint meeting): Grant a One Day Special permit for Wine & Malt Beverages Only for Friday, May 19, 2023 from 4-8 p.m. at 1652 Main Street, Chatham to Julie Eldredge-Dykens on behalf…
ApprovePassed · Unanimous, 4 present
To grant a One Day Special permit for Wine & Malt Beverages Only for Friday, May 19, 2023 from 4-8 p.m. at 1652 Main Street, Chatham to Julie Eldredge-Dykens on behalf of Local Color Gallery
Jeffrey Dykens stepped aside (recused).
From the minutes
“Motion: by Shareen Davis to grant a One Day Special permit for Wine & Malt Beverages Only for Friday, May 19, 2023 from 4-8 p.m. at 1652 Main Street, Chatham to Julie Eldredge-Dykens on behalf of Local Color Gallery. Second: by Mike Schell. Roll Call: Dean Nicastro: Yes Shareen Davis: Yes Mike Schell: Yes Cory Metters: Yes.” (Motion: Davis, second: Schell)
Apr 11Approve the application for a Common Victualler license by…Motion: to approve the application for a Common Victualler license by Cory…Passed Unanimous, 4 present · see note
April 11, 2023 (Joint meeting): Approve the application for a Common Victualler license by Cory Metters, 1579 Main Street, West Chatham for Sweet Dreams Ice Cream and Candy
ApprovePassed · Unanimous, 4 present
To approve the application for a Common Victualler license by Cory Metters, 1579 Main Street, West Chatham for Sweet Dreams Ice Cream and Candy
Cory Metters stepped aside (recused).
From the minutes
“Motion: by Shareen Davis to approve the application for a Common Victualler license by Cory Metters, 1579 Main Street, West Chatham for Sweet Dreams Ice Cream and Candy. Second: by Dean Nicastro. Roll Call: Dean Nicastro: Yes Shareen Davis: Yes Mike Schell: Yes Jeff Dykens: Yes.” (Motion: Davis, second: Nicastro)
Mar 21Approve the request to extend Sunday opening hours to…Motion: to approve the request to extend Sunday opening hours to 10:00…Passed Unanimous, 4 present · see note
March 21, 2023: Approve the request to extend Sunday opening hours to 10:00 a.m. from noon for Peter Higgins dba Dog Fish Taco Co., 22 Barnhill Road, Chatham
ApprovePassed · Unanimous, 4 present
To approve the request to extend Sunday opening hours to 10:00 a.m. from noon for Peter Higgins dba Dog Fish Taco Co., 22 Barnhill Road, Chatham
Cory Metters stepped aside (recused).
From the minutes
“Motion: by Shareen Davis to approve the request to extend Sunday opening hours to 10:00 a.m. from noon for Peter Higgins dba Dog Fish Taco Co., 22 Barnhill Road, Chatham. Second: by Mike Schell. Roll Call: Dean Nicastro: Yes Shareen Davis: Yes Mike Schell: Yes Jeff Dykens: Yes.” (Motion: Davis, second: Schell)
Mar 14Place the article to re-zone 1610 and 0 Main…Motion: to place the article to re-zone 1610 and 0 Main Streets…Passed Unanimous, 4 present · see note
March 14, 2023: Place the article to re-zone 1610 and 0 Main Streets on the 2023 Annual Town Meeting warrant
ApprovePassed · Unanimous, 4 present
To place the article to re-zone 1610 and 0 Main Streets on the 2023 Annual Town Meeting warrant
Cory Metters stepped aside (recused).
From the minutes
“Motion: by Mike Schell to place the article to re-zone 1610 and 0 Main Streets on the 2023 Annual Town Meeting warrant. Second: by Dean Nicastro. Roll Call: Dean Nicastro: Yes Shareen Davis: Yes Mike Schell: Yes Jeff Dykens: Yes.” (Motion: Schell, second: Nicastro)
Mar 14Recommend approval of the article to re-zone 1610 and…Motion: to recommend approval of the article to re-zone 1610 and 0…Passed Unanimous, 4 present · see note
March 14, 2023: Recommend approval of the article to re-zone 1610 and 0 Main Street to 2023 Annual Town Meeting
ApprovePassed · Unanimous, 4 present
To recommend approval of the article to re-zone 1610 and 0 Main Street to 2023 Annual Town Meeting
Cory Metters stepped aside (recused).
From the minutes
“Motion: by Mike Schell to recommend approval of the article to re-zone 1610 and 0 Main Street to 2023 Annual Town Meeting. Second: by Dean Nicastro. Roll Call: Dean Nicastro: Yes Shareen Davis: Yes Mike Schell: Yes Jeff Dykens: Yes.” (Motion: Schell, second: Nicastro)
Mar 7Place the article on re-use of the structures at…Motion: to place the article on re-use of the structures at 127…Passed 3–2 · No: Metters, Nicastro
March 7, 2023: Place the article on re-use of the structures at 127 Old Harbor Road for Affordable/Attainable Housing on the 2023 Annual Town Meeting Warrant
ApprovePassed · 3–2
To place the article on re-use of the structures at 127 Old Harbor Road for Affordable/Attainable Housing on the 2023 Annual Town Meeting Warrant
Yes: Davis, Dykens, SchellNo: Metters, Nicastro
From the minutes
“Motion: by Shareen Davis to place the article on re-use of the structures at 127 Old Harbor Road for Affordable/Attainable Housing on the 2023 Annual Town Meeting Warrant. Second: by Jeffrey Dykens. Roll Call: Dean Nicastro: No Shareen Davis: Yes Mike Schell: Yes Cory Metters: No Jeff Dykens: Yes.” (Motion: Davis, second: Dykens)
Mar 7Recommend approval of the article on re-use of the…Motion: to recommend approval of the article on re-use of the structures…Passed 3–2 · No: Metters, Nicastro
March 7, 2023: Recommend approval of the article on re-use of the structures at 127 Old Harbor Road for Affordable/Attainable/Workforce Housing to 2023 Annual Town Meeting
ApprovePassed · 3–2
To recommend approval of the article on re-use of the structures at 127 Old Harbor Road for Affordable/Attainable/Workforce Housing to 2023 Annual Town Meeting
Yes: Davis, Dykens, SchellNo: Metters, Nicastro
From the minutes
“Motion: by Shareen Davis to recommend approval of the article on re-use of the structures at 127 Old Harbor Road for Affordable/Attainable/Workforce Housing to 2023 Annual Town Meeting. Second: by Jeffrey Dykens. Roll Call: Dean Nicastro: No Shareen Davis: Yes Mike Schell: Yes Cory Metters: No Jeff Dykens: Yes.” (Motion: Davis, second: Dykens)
Mar 7Place the article to accept MGL Ch. 40 Sec.…Motion: to place the article to accept MGL Ch. 40 Sec. 15A…Passed 4–1 · No: Nicastro
March 7, 2023: Place the article to accept MGL Ch. 40 Sec. 15A relating to low-and moderate-income housing by majority vote on the 2023 Annual Town Meeting warrant
ApprovePassed · 4–1
To place the article to accept MGL Ch. 40 Sec. 15A relating to low-and moderate-income housing by majority vote on the 2023 Annual Town Meeting warrant
Yes: Davis, Dykens, Metters, SchellNo: Nicastro
From the minutes
“Motion: by Shareen Davis to place the article to accept MGL Ch. 40 Sec. 15A relating to low-and moderate-income housing by majority vote on the 2023 Annual Town Meeting warrant. Second: by Mike Schell. Roll Call: Dean Nicastro: No Shareen Davis: Yes Mike Schell: Yes Cory Metters: Yes Jeff Dykens: Yes.” (Motion: Davis, second: Schell)
Mar 7Recommend the article to accept MGL Ch. 40 Sec.…Motion: to recommend the article to accept MGL Ch. 40 Sec. 15A…Passed 4–1 · No: Nicastro
March 7, 2023: Recommend the article to accept MGL Ch. 40 Sec. 15A relating to low-and moderate-income housing by majority vote to 2023 Annual Town Meeting
ApprovePassed · 4–1
To recommend the article to accept MGL Ch. 40 Sec. 15A relating to low-and moderate-income housing by majority vote to 2023 Annual Town Meeting
Yes: Davis, Dykens, Metters, SchellNo: Nicastro
From the minutes
“Motion: by Shareen Davis to recommend the article to accept MGL Ch. 40 Sec. 15A relating to low-and moderate-income housing by majority vote to 2023 Annual Town Meeting. Second: by Mike Schell. Roll Call: Dean Nicastro: No Shareen Davis: Yes Mike Schell: Yes Cory Metters: Yes Jeff Dykens: Yes.” (Motion: Davis, second: Schell)
From the Chatham Select Board’s official minutes on mytowngovernment.org, where the town posts them. We check every vote against the Select Board members present and quote the exact wording. MassVoter never grades or scores officials. Photos: Town of Chatham (town website, Select Board Members).