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Municipal votes · 2020–2021 Board

Dracut Board of Selectmen

How the Dracut Board of Selectmen voted, from the Board of Selectmen’s official minutes. 5 members elected townwide for three-year terms. Jesse Forcier served as Chairman, Alison Genest as Vice-Chairman and Heather Santiago-Hutchings as Clerk, with Joseph DiRocco and Tony Archinski. The town’s Agenda Center has this board’s minutes from January 12, 2021 on (nothing earlier is online), so MassVoter’s record starts then. The meetings from January 12 to March 9, 2021 were held remotely, with roll-call votes. On March 23, 2021 the board voted to move the town election from May 3 to May 8, 2021. Covers 9 meetings, January 12 to April 27, 2021.

A monthly email on what it voted on, starting in November.

What does the Board of Selectmen 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 Board of Selectmen, votes the town budget and town bylaws.

Sources: Massachusetts Select Board Handbook (MMA) · Mass. Division of Local Services: the town budget
Election Day · Tuesday, Nov 3

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Board years

Coming up

From the agendas Dracut posts on its official site. Agendas can change; the posted agenda is the official one.

What Town Meeting decided

In Dracut, Town Meeting — not the Board of Selectmen — 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.

Fall Annual Town Meeting · November 10, 2025 18 votes: 11 passed, 3 failed, 3 indefinitely postponed, 1 referred

Source: Town of Dracut Annual Town Report 2025, section "November 10th, 2025 Annual Town Meeting Results" (printed pp. 195-201; PDF pp. 199-205).

Annual Town Meeting · June 2, 2025 31 votes: 27 passed, 4 failed

Source: Town Clerk: Annual Town Meeting Vote, June 2, 2025 (PDF).

Fall Annual Town Meeting · November 18, 2024 15 votes: 11 passed, 1 failed, 2 withdrawn, 1 no action

Source: Town Clerk: Fall Annual Town Meeting Vote, November 18, 2024 (PDF).

Annual Town Meeting · June 3, 2024 31 votes: 27 passed, 1 failed, 2 no action, 1 other

Source: Town Clerk: Annual Town Meeting Vote, June 3, 2024 (PDF).

Not here yet: The June 1, 2026 Annual Town Meeting is not here because no official vote record for it is posted yet; the Fall Annual Town Meeting is scheduled for November 9, 2026.

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).

Members

Tony ArchinskiMember · At-large · at 9 of 9 meetingsJoseph DiRoccoMember · At-large · at 9 of 9 meetingsHeather Santiago-HutchingsClerk · At-large · at 9 of 9 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: Dracut Board of Selectmen minutes from January 12, 2021 through August 25, 2026: 144 meetings and 1,539 votes. The town’s Agenda Center has the board’s minutes only from January 2021 on; no earlier minutes are online. The minutes from January 2021 to March 2023 are scanned images, which MassVoter read with text recognition and checked where names or counts were unclear; minutes from April 2023 on are typed documents with searchable text. Not here: executive-session minutes; cancelled meetings; the minutes of other committees filed in the same Agenda Center category (Town Charter Review Committee, Education, Public Safety, DATV Contract and other sub-committees, Town Manager Screening Committee); votes of the School Committee, Planning Board, Zoning By-Law Review Committee, Finance Committee and other boards at joint meetings (three joint meetings are recorded only in another body’s minutes); meetings with an agenda but no posted minutes (November 16, 2021 joint meeting with the Open Space Committee, Community Preservation Committee and Friends of Beaver Brook Farm; May 3, 2022 joint site visit with the Permanent Building Committee; February 29, 2024 Zoom MBTA information session; March 16, 2024 town border perambulation; May 28, 2024 joint meeting with the Conservation Commission (the file posted is the minutes of the executive session that followed it); April 29, 2026 joint meeting with the School Committee); and meetings after August 25, 2026 (the August 11, September 8 and September 22, 2026 minutes are not posted yet). Dracut’s minutes usually read “Motion made by … Motion seconded by … Motion passed unanimously,” which is shown as every member present voting yes. When members disagree the minutes give the count and name them (“Motion passed 3 to 2. Mrs. Santiago-Hutchings and Mr. Taylor voted no.”), which is shown by name; remote meetings in 2021 and some votes since then are roll calls by name. Members who abstained, “did not vote” or “voted present” are shown as abstaining, with a note. Members who recused themselves or stepped out are not shown in those votes. Where the minutes give only the result, we show the result only (1 vote). A motion with no recorded outcome, or one that died for lack of a second, is not counted as a vote. The board voted on June 11, 2024 to appoint a committee to review the Town Charter and later appointed its members; that committee’s own meetings are not part of this page. We will ask the town to confirm any noted vote.

Tuesday, April 27, 2021 · Regular meeting5 recorded votes, 0 with disagreementAll 5 members presentTuesday, April 27, 2021 · Joint meeting2 recorded votes, 1 with disagreementAll 5 members presentTuesday, April 13, 2021 · Regular meeting12 recorded votes, 0 with disagreementAll 5 members presentTuesday, March 23, 2021 · Regular meeting7 recorded votes, 1 with disagreementAbsent: Jesse ForcierTuesday, March 9, 2021 · Regular meeting12 recorded votes, 0 with disagreementAll 5 members present

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 27Appoint Dr. Linda Trouville to fill the School Committee…Motion: Motion made by Mrs. Volpe to Nominate Dr. Linda Trouville to…Passed Unanimous, 5 present · see note

April 27, 2021 (Joint meeting): Appoint Dr. Linda Trouville to fill the School Committee seat vacated by Betsy Murphy until May 2022 (joint vote with the School Committee)

AppointPassed · Unanimous, 5 present

Motion made by Mrs. Volpe to Nominate Dr. Linda Trouville to Fill the Seat on the School Committee Vacated by Mrs. Betsy Murphy until May 2022. Motion seconded by Mr. Archinski. Motion made by Mr. DiRocco to Close Nominations. Motion seconded by Mrs. Genest. Motions passed unanimously with Mr. Forcier calling for a Roll Call Vote: Mr. Wilkie - Yes, Mrs. Volpe - Yes, Mrs. Koufogazos - Yes, Mrs. Young - Yes, Mrs. Santiago-Hutchings - Yes, Mr. Archinski - Yes, Mrs. Genest - Yes, Mr. DiRocco - Yes and Mr. Forcier - Yes.

Joint meeting with the School Committee to fill a vacancy. Mrs. Volpe (School Committee) nominated Dr. Trouville, seconded by Tony Archinski; Joseph DiRocco moved to close nominations, seconded by Alison Genest. The minutes record both motions passing together by one roll call (“Motions passed unanimously”); only the Board of Selectmen members’ votes are shown.

From the minutes

“Motion made by Mrs. Volpe to Nominate Dr. Linda Trouville to Fill the Seat on the School Committee Vacated by Mrs. Betsy Murphy until May 2022. Motion seconded by Mr. Archinski. Motion made by Mr. DiRocco to Close Nominations. Motion seconded by Mrs. Genest. Motions passed unanimously with Mr. Forcier calling for a Roll Call Vote: Mr. Wilkie - Yes, Mrs. Volpe - Yes, Mrs. Koufogazos - Yes, Mrs. Young - Yes, Mrs. Santiago-Hutchings - Yes, Mr. Archinski - Yes, Mrs. Genest - Yes, Mr. DiRocco - Yes and Mr. Forcier - Yes..” (second: Archinski)

Read it in the official minutes, page 1 (PDF)

Mar 23Convey the property at 11 Spring Park Avenue to…Motion: Motion made by Mr. DiRocco that the Town of Dracut convey…Passed Unanimous, 4 present · see note

March 23, 2021: Convey the property at 11 Spring Park Avenue to 11 Spring Park Avenue, LLC, for $1.00 and authorize the recording of the deed

ApprovePassed · Unanimous, 4 present

Motion made by Mr. DiRocco that the Town of Dracut convey the property at 11 Spring Park Avenue, Dracut, Massachusetts, to 11 Spring Park Avenue, LLC, for the consideration of One Dollar ($1.00) and authorize the recording of said deed. Motion made by Mr. Archinski. Motion passed unanimously.

After the motion the minutes say “Motion made by Mr. Archinski.” where the seconder is usually named, so no seconder is shown.

From the minutes

“Motion made by Mr. DiRocco that the Town of Dracut convey the property at 11 Spring Park Avenue, Dracut, Massachusetts, to 11 Spring Park Avenue, LLC, for the consideration of One Dollar ($1.00) and authorize the recording of said deed. Motion made by Mr. Archinski. Motion passed unanimously..” (Motion: DiRocco)

Read it in the official minutes, page 3 (PDF)

Feb 9Adopt the Beaver Brook Farm Plan as Presented at…Motion: Motion made by Mr. Archinski to Adopt the Beaver Brook Farm…Passed 4–1 · No: Santiago-Hutchings

February 9, 2021: Adopt the Beaver Brook Farm Plan as Presented at the ! January 26, 2021 Board of Selectmen's Meeting

ApprovePassed · 4–1

Motion made by Mr. Archinski to Adopt the Beaver Brook Farm Plan as Presented at the ! January 26, 2021 Board of Selectmen's Meeting. Motion seconded by Mrs. Genest. Motion passed 4 to 1 with a roll call vote: Mr. Archinski - Yes, Mrs. Santiago-Hutchings - No, Mr. DiRocco - Yes, Mrs. Genest - Yes and Mr. Forcier - Yes. Mrs. Santiago-Hutchings explained that she voted no due to the water tower shown on the plan with the potential of a telecommunications tower.

Yes: Archinski, DiRocco, Forcier, GenestNo: Santiago-Hutchings

From the minutes

“Motion made by Mr. Archinski to Adopt the Beaver Brook Farm Plan as Presented at the ! January 26, 2021 Board of Selectmen's Meeting. Motion seconded by Mrs. Genest. Motion passed 4 to 1 with a roll call vote: Mr. Archinski - Yes, Mrs. Santiago-Hutchings - No, Mr. DiRocco - Yes, Mrs. Genest - Yes and Mr. Forcier - Yes. Mrs. Santiago-Hutchings explained that she voted no due to the water tower shown on the plan with the potential of a telecommunications tower..” (Motion: Archinski, second: Genest)

Read it in the official minutes, page 4 (PDF)

From the Dracut Board of Selectmen’s official minutes, posted in the town’s Agenda Center (Board of Selectmen). We check every vote against the members present and quote the exact wording. MassVoter never grades or scores officials. Photos (the town’s website has no Board of Selectmen photos): The Lowell Sun — Kristie Wohlander and Heather Santiago-Hutchings (courtesy photos, April 2026), Don Plummer and Josh Taylor (courtesy photos, May 2024), Tony Archinski (Cameron Morsberger, May 2023). Cropped by MassVoter. Former members show initials.

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