MassVoter.com← DedhamMunicipal votes · 2022–2023 Board
Dedham Select Board
How the Dedham Select Board voted, from the Select Board’s official minutes. 5 Select Board members elected townwide for three-year terms. Erin Boles Welsh joined the board after the April 2022 town election, and Sarah MacDonald left it. On April 13, 2022 the board chose James MacDonald as Chair and Kevin Coughlin as Vice Chair, by roll calls (5-0). Only 6 of this board year’s meetings have minutes online (April 13, April 28, May 4 and November 14, 2022; March 16 and March 29, 2023). Covers 6 meetings, April 13 to March 29, 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.
Sources: Massachusetts Select Board Handbook (MMA) · Mass. Division of Local Services: the town budgetBoard years
Coming up
MassVoter can’t read Dedham’s meeting calendar automatically yet. See upcoming meetings on the official site →
Members
ChairJames MacDonaldChair · Elected townwide · at 6 of 6 meetingsVice-ChairKevin CoughlinVice Chair · Elected townwide · at 6 of 6 meetings
Erin Boles WelshMember · Elected townwide · at 6 of 6 meetings
Dimitria SullivanMember · Elected townwide · at 6 of 6 meetingsDennis TeehanMember · Elected townwide · at 6 of 6 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: Dedham Select Board minutes (called the Board of Selectmen until early 2020) from January 11, 2018 through January 29, 2026, from the town’s Agendas and Minutes page. The town posts agendas for nearly every meeting, but many meetings have no minutes online: the gaps grow from 2022 on, only a handful of late-2025 meetings have minutes, and the town has posted minutes for only 2 of the 22 Select Board meetings held so far in 2026 (January 15 and January 29). We list every meeting without minutes, and MassVoter is asking the town for them. Older minutes were typed in Word; most minutes since 2021 are scanned images, which MassVoter read with text recognition and checked by hand. From 2018 to 2022 the minutes record a roll call by name for most votes, and we show each member’s vote. Most Dedham minutes since 2023 say only “On a motion made by …, it was resolved to … Motion carried,” so we show the result without guessing how each member voted, even when the minutes add “Roll call was done.” When the minutes call a vote unanimous or give a count with no one opposed, every member present is shown voting yes. When members chose between candidates for an appointment, we show the result and quote each member’s choice in a note. Votes taken by other boards at joint meetings (for example the Planning Board, Board of Health and Board of Assessors) are left out. 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.
Apr 28Authorize the superintendent of schools to submit the statement…Motion: A motion was made by Ms. Welsh Boles to authorize the…Passed 4–0 · see note
April 28, 2022: Authorize the superintendent of schools to submit the statement of interest for Greenlodge Elementary School located at 191 Greenlodge Street in Dedham
A motion was made by Ms. Welsh Boles to authorize the superintendent of schools to submit the statement of interest for Greenlodge Elementary School located at 191 Greenlodge Street in Dedham. The motion was seconded by Ms. Sullivan. A roll call vote was taken Dimitria Sullivan Yes Erin Boles Welsh Yes Kevin R. Coughlin Yes Dennis Teehan Yes Motion passed unanimously, 4-0.
Yes: Coughlin, Sullivan, Teehan, WelshJames MacDonald left the meeting for this item because of a work conflict (the minutes say so), so he is not counted.
From the minutes
“A motion was made by Ms. Welsh Boles to authorize the superintendent of schools to submit the statement of interest for Greenlodge Elementary School located at 191 Greenlodge Street in Dedham. The motion was seconded by Ms. Sullivan. A roll call vote was taken Dimitria Sullivan Yes Erin Boles Welsh Yes Kevin R. Coughlin Yes Dennis Teehan Yes Motion passed unanimously, 4-0..” (Motion: Welsh, second: Sullivan)
Apr 28Authorize the superintendent of schools to submit the statement…Motion: A motion was made by Ms. Sullivan to authorize the superintendent…Passed 4–0 · see note
April 28, 2022: Authorize the superintendent of schools to submit the statement of interest for Riverdale Elementary School located at 143 Nedham Street in Dedham
A motion was made by Ms. Sullivan to authorize the superintendent of schools to submit the statement of interest for Riverdale Elementary School located at 143 Nedham Street in Dedham. The motion was seconded by Ms. Sullivan. A roll call vote was taken Dimitria Sullivan Yes Erin Boles Welsh Yes Kevin R. Coughlin Yes Dennis Teehan Yes Motion passed unanimously, 4-0.
Yes: Coughlin, Sullivan, Teehan, WelshJames MacDonald left the meeting for this item because of a work conflict (the minutes say so), so he is not counted. The minutes name Dimitria Sullivan as both the mover and the seconder, so no seconder is shown.
From the minutes
“A motion was made by Ms. Sullivan to authorize the superintendent of schools to submit the statement of interest for Riverdale Elementary School located at 143 Nedham Street in Dedham. The motion was seconded by Ms. Sullivan. A roll call vote was taken Dimitria Sullivan Yes Erin Boles Welsh Yes Kevin R. Coughlin Yes Dennis Teehan Yes Motion passed unanimously, 4-0..” (Motion: Sullivan)
Apr 28Approve the memorandum agreement between the town of Dedham…Motion: A motion was made by Mr. Coughlin to approve the memorandum…Passed 4–0 · Abstained: Sullivan
April 28, 2022: Approve the memorandum agreement between the town of Dedham and the American Federation and State Country Municipal Employees, AFL CIO State Council 93, Local 362 town hall unit as discussed
A motion was made by Mr. Coughlin to approve the memorandum agreement between the town of Dedham and the American Federation and State Country Municipal Employees, AFL CIO State Council 93, Local 362 town hall unit as discussed. The motion was seconded by Ms. Welsh Boles. A roll call vote was taken Dimitria Sullivan Abstained Erin Boles Welsh Yes James A. MacDonald Yes Kevin R. Coughlin Yes Dennis Teehan Yes Motion passed unanimously, 4-0.
Yes: Coughlin, James MacDonald, Teehan, WelshAbstained: Sullivan
From the minutes
“A motion was made by Mr. Coughlin to approve the memorandum agreement between the town of Dedham and the American Federation and State Country Municipal Employees, AFL CIO State Council 93, Local 362 town hall unit as discussed. The motion was seconded by Ms. Welsh Boles. A roll call vote was taken Dimitria Sullivan Abstained Erin Boles Welsh Yes James A. MacDonald Yes Kevin R. Coughlin Yes Dennis Teehan Yes Motion passed unanimously, 4-0..” (Motion: Coughlin, second: Welsh)
Apr 13Approved Mr. Healy and Mr. Miller as nominees for…Motion: A motion was made by Mr. MacDonald to approved Mr. Healy…Passed 4–0 · Abstained: Welsh
April 13, 2022: Approved Mr. Healy and Mr. Miller as nominees for the Dedham Westwood Water District
A motion was made by Mr. MacDonald to approved Mr. Healy and Mr. Miller as nominees for the Dedham Westwood Water District. The motion was seconded by Dr. Teehan. A roll call vote was taken Dimitria Sullivan Yes Erin Boles Welsh Abstain James A. MacDonald Yes Kevin R. Coughlin Yes Dennis Teehan Yes Motion passed unanimously, 4-0.
Yes: Coughlin, James MacDonald, Sullivan, TeehanAbstained: Welsh
From the minutes
“A motion was made by Mr. MacDonald to approved Mr. Healy and Mr. Miller as nominees for the Dedham Westwood Water District. The motion was seconded by Dr. Teehan. A roll call vote was taken Dimitria Sullivan Yes Erin Boles Welsh Abstain James A. MacDonald Yes Kevin R. Coughlin Yes Dennis Teehan Yes Motion passed unanimously, 4-0..” (Motion: James MacDonald, second: Teehan)
Apr 13Approve the reappointment of Mr. Healy on the Dedham…Motion: A motion was made by Mr. MacDonald to approve the reappointment…Passed 4–0 · Abstained: Welsh
April 13, 2022: Approve the reappointment of Mr. Healy on the Dedham Westwood Water District for a term of three years to expire in 2025
A motion was made by Mr. MacDonald to approve the reappointment of Mr. Healy on the Dedham Westwood Water District for a term of three years to expire in 2025. The motion was seconded by Ms. Boles Welsh. A roli call vote was taken Dimitria Sullivan Yes Erin Boles Welsh Abstain James A. MacDonald Yes Kevin R. Coughlin Yes Dennis Teehan Yes Motion passed unanimously, 4-0.
Yes: Coughlin, James MacDonald, Sullivan, TeehanAbstained: Welsh
From the minutes
“A motion was made by Mr. MacDonald to approve the reappointment of Mr. Healy on the Dedham Westwood Water District for a term of three years to expire in 2025. The motion was seconded by Ms. Boles Welsh. A roli call vote was taken Dimitria Sullivan Yes Erin Boles Welsh Abstain James A. MacDonald Yes Kevin R. Coughlin Yes Dennis Teehan Yes Motion passed unanimously, 4-0..” (Motion: James MacDonald, second: Welsh)
From the Dedham Select Board’s official minutes, posted on the town’s Agendas and Minutes page. We check every vote against the Select Board members present and quote the exact wording. MassVoter never grades or scores officials. Photos: Stephen Acosta from Dedham Public Schools (School Committee page); Dimitria Sullivan and Erin Boles Welsh from Dedham Patch (2022 candidate profiles); Michelle Persson Reilly from her campaign website; James MacDonald from the Massachusetts School Building Authority staff page.
How to read these pagesWhere the votes come from, how we check them against the official minutes, what isn't included yet, and how to report a mistake.About city pages →