← Dunstable

Municipal votes · 2019–2020 Board

Dunstable Select Board

How the Dunstable Select Board voted, from the Select Board’s official minutes. 3 Select Board members elected townwide for three-year terms. Leah D. Basbanes was re-elected at the May 21, 2019 town election. On May 28, 2019 the board kept her as Chair and chose not to name a Vice Chair. From March 2020 the board met remotely during COVID-19. The 2020 town election was moved to June 16, 2020. Kieran D. Meehan was elected and Ronald J. Mikol left the board (his last meeting in this term was June 10, 2020); Kieran D. Meehan had not yet been sworn in at the June 17, 2020 meeting. Covers 42 meetings, May 28 to June 24, 2020.

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 budget
Election Day · Tuesday, Nov 3

Your Dunstable ballot: 13 quizzes, about a minute each.

Start my ballot →

Board years

Coming up

MassVoter can’t read Dunstable’s meeting calendar automatically yet. See upcoming meetings on the official site →

What Town Meeting decided

In Dunstable, 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 11, 2026 26 votes: 22 passed, 2 failed, 2 no action

Source: Town Clerk: Annual Town Meeting Minutes, May 11, 2026 (PDF, 23 pages).

Special Town Meeting · November 17, 2025 13 votes: 12 passed, 1 no action

Source: Town Clerk: Special Town Meeting Minutes, November 17, 2025 (PDF, 8 pages).

Annual Town Meeting · May 12, 2025 21 votes: 20 passed, 1 no action

Source: Town Clerk: Annual Town Meeting Minutes, May 12, 2025 (PDF, 18 pages).

Special Town Meeting · November 18, 2024 10 votes: 7 passed, 2 failed, 1 no action

Source: Town Clerk: Special Town Meeting Minutes, November 18, 2024 (PDF, 6 pages).

Annual Town Meeting · May 13, 2024 19 votes: 18 passed, 1 no action

Source: Town Clerk: Annual Town Meeting Minutes, May 13, 2024 (PDF, 15 pages; the cover heading says "Special").

Special Town Meeting · March 26, 2024 1 votes: 1 passed

Source: Town Clerk: Special Town Meeting Minutes, March 26, 2024 (PDF, 9 pages).

Not here yet: No Town Meeting after May 11, 2026 is posted.

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

James E. TullyMember · At-large · at 41 of 42 meetingsKieran D. MeehanMember · At-large · at 1 of 1 meetings · from Jun 2020Ronald J. MikolMember · At-large · at 31 of 40 meetings · until Jun 2020

"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: Dunstable Select Board minutes from January 2, 2018 through September 8, 2026: 289 meetings and 1,422 votes. The town’s Select Board minutes page lists the board’s minutes from 2017 on, and its older minutes archive (linked from that page) has Board of Selectmen minutes from 2010; MassVoter loaded 2018 on, including the December 18 and December 21, 2018 minutes, which are only in the older archive. The board was the Board of Selectmen (its 2018–2021 minutes call it the “Selectboard”) until the Legislature renamed it the Select Board (Chapter 208 of the Acts of 2024, signed September 20, 2024); its minutes are headed “Select Board” from September 24, 2024. The minutes are typed documents with searchable text. Not here: executive-session minutes; Insurance Advisory Committee minutes filed in the Select Board list; votes of the Advisory Board, Board of Health, Affordable Housing Committee, Groton boards and other bodies at joint meetings; meetings with an agenda but no posted minutes (March 25 and April 5, 2019; January 15, 2020; January 26, 2023, whose minutes the board approved on February 9, 2023; April 23, 2024, where the file posted is a second copy of the April 16, 2024 minutes; December 17, 2024; and September 30, 2025, whose minutes the board approved on October 15, 2025); and meetings after September 8, 2026 (the September 24 and October 8, 2026 minutes are not posted yet). Dunstable’s minutes have used several forms. From 2018 to mid-2022 a motion “passed unanimously,” “passed without objection” or “passed by majority vote,” sometimes naming a member who abstained, and votes to enter executive session list the members voting (“adopted by majority vote by Leah D. Basbanes, Ronald J. Mikol, and James E. Tully”). In fall 2022 the minutes gave counts (“Voted to approve 3-0”). Since late 2022 they read “it was VOTED … The vote was unanimous,” with roll calls by name for executive sessions and, in 2025–2026, for many other votes. Unanimous wording, or a count equal to the members present, is shown as every member present voting yes; a roll call or list of names is shown by name; on this three-member board, a vote that passed with one named member abstaining or voting no shows the other members voting yes. “Passed without objection” (313 votes), “passed by majority vote” with no names (135 votes) and “it was VOTED” or “the meeting was adjourned” with no count or names (39 votes) show the result only; one vote that passed with an unnamed abstention shows the count only. Members who recused themselves are left out of that vote, with a note. Where the attendance list leaves out a member who made or seconded a motion, that member is counted present, with a note. A motion with no recorded outcome is not counted as a vote. We will ask the town to confirm any noted vote.

Wednesday, June 24, 2020 · Regular meeting1 recorded votes, 1 with disagreementAll 4 members presentWednesday, June 17, 2020 · Regular meeting2 recorded votes, 5 with disagreementAll 4 members presentWednesday, June 10, 2020 · Regular meeting1 recorded votes, 4 with disagreementAll 4 members presentWednesday, June 3, 2020 · Regular meeting4 recorded votes, 3 with disagreementAll 4 members presentWednesday, May 27, 2020 · Regular meeting2 recorded votes, 3 with disagreementAbsent: Ronald J. Mikol

Votes where members disagreed

Most board votes are unanimous. These are the ones where at least one member voted no or abstained, newest first.

Jun 24Authorize Mr. Palaia to work on a tentative award…Motion: A motion was made by Mr. Meehan to authorize Mr. Palaia…Passed · see note

June 24, 2020: Authorize Mr. Palaia to work on a tentative award letter

ApprovePassed · No count or names in the minutes

A motion was made by Mr. Meehan to authorize Mr. Palaia to work on a tentative award letter. The motion as seconded by Ms. Basbanes and passed by majority vote.

The minutes say the motion passed “by majority vote,” without a count or names. Showing the result only.

From the minutes

“A motion was made by Mr. Meehan to authorize Mr. Palaia to work on a tentative award letter. The motion as seconded by Ms. Basbanes and passed by majority vote..” (Motion: Meehan, second: Basbanes)

Read it in the official minutes, page 2 (PDF)

Jun 17Approve of the list of appointments and to dispense…Motion: A motion was made by Mr. Tully to approve of the…Passed · see note

June 17, 2020: Approve of the list of appointments and to dispense with reading of the list aloud

AppointPassed · No count or names in the minutes

A motion was made by Mr. Tully to approve of the list of appointments and to dispense with reading of the list aloud. The motion was seconded by Ms. Basbanes and passed by majority vote.

The minutes say the motion passed “by majority vote,” without a count or names. Showing the result only.

From the minutes

“A motion was made by Mr. Tully to approve of the list of appointments and to dispense with reading of the list aloud. The motion was seconded by Ms. Basbanes and passed by majority vote..” (Motion: James E. Tully, second: Basbanes)

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

Jun 17Approve the 1/12th Budget for the Water Enterprise FundMotion: A motion was made by Mr. Tully to approve the 1/12th…Passed · see note

June 17, 2020: Approve the 1/12th Budget for the Water Enterprise Fund

ApprovePassed · No count or names in the minutes

A motion was made by Mr. Tully to approve the 1/12th Budget for the Water Enterprise Fund. The motion was seconded by Ms. Basbanes and passed by majority vote.

The minutes say the motion passed “by majority vote,” without a count or names. Showing the result only.

From the minutes

“A motion was made by Mr. Tully to approve the 1/12th Budget for the Water Enterprise Fund. The motion was seconded by Ms. Basbanes and passed by majority vote..” (Motion: James E. Tully, second: Basbanes)

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

Jun 17Approve the end of year transfersMotion: A motion was made by Mr. Tully to approve the end…Passed · see note

June 17, 2020: Approve the end of year transfers

ApprovePassed · No count or names in the minutes

A motion was made by Mr. Tully to approve the end of year transfers. The motion was seconded by Mr. Tully and passed by majority vote.

The minutes say the motion passed “by majority vote,” without a count or names. Showing the result only. The minutes name James Tully as both the mover and the seconder, so no seconder is shown.

From the minutes

“A motion was made by Mr. Tully to approve the end of year transfers. The motion was seconded by Mr. Tully and passed by majority vote..” (Motion: James E. Tully)

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

Jun 10Extend support for the Advisory Board's compromise with the…Motion: A motion was made by Mr. Mikol to extend support for…Passed · see note

June 10, 2020: Extend support for the Advisory Board's compromise with the caveat to revisit in the event of state aid cuts

ApprovePassed · No count or names in the minutes

A motion was made by Mr. Mikol to extend support for the Advisory Board's compromise with the caveat to revisit in the event of state aid cuts. The motion was seconded by Ms. Basbanes and passed by majority vote.

The minutes say the motion passed “by majority vote,” without a count or names. Showing the result only.

From the minutes

“A motion was made by Mr. Mikol to extend support for the Advisory Board's compromise with the caveat to revisit in the event of state aid cuts. The motion was seconded by Ms. Basbanes and passed by majority vote..” (Motion: Mikol, second: Basbanes)

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

Jun 10Approve the appointment of Dennis Unger as the Town…Motion: A motion was made by Mr. Mikol to approve the appointment…Passed · see note

June 10, 2020: Approve the appointment of Dennis Unger as the Town Engineer with a term to expire June 30th, 2021

AppointPassed · No count or names in the minutes

A motion was made by Mr. Mikol to approve the appointment of Dennis Unger as the Town Engineer with a term to expire June 30th, 2021. The motion was seconded by Ms. Basbanes and passed by majority vote.

The minutes say the motion passed “by majority vote,” without a count or names. Showing the result only.

From the minutes

“A motion was made by Mr. Mikol to approve the appointment of Dennis Unger as the Town Engineer with a term to expire June 30th, 2021. The motion was seconded by Ms. Basbanes and passed by majority vote..” (Motion: Mikol, second: Basbanes)

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

Jun 10Approve of the Special Police Appointments as listed dispensing…Motion: A motion was made by Mr. Mikol to approve of the…Passed · see note

June 10, 2020: Approve of the Special Police Appointments as listed dispensing with reading of the list aloud

AppointPassed · No count or names in the minutes

A motion was made by Mr. Mikol to approve of the Special Police Appointments as listed dispensing with reading of the list aloud. The motion was seconded by Ms. Basbanes and passed by majority vote.

The minutes say the motion passed “by majority vote,” without a count or names. Showing the result only.

From the minutes

“A motion was made by Mr. Mikol to approve of the Special Police Appointments as listed dispensing with reading of the list aloud. The motion was seconded by Ms. Basbanes and passed by majority vote..” (Motion: Mikol, second: Basbanes)

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

Jun 3The School Committee be asked to seek further cuts…Motion: A motion was made by Mr. Mikol to direct that the…Passed · see note

June 3, 2020: The School Committee be asked to seek further cuts to their proposed budget that would result in a reduction to the assessment to address the current deficit

ApprovePassed · No count or names in the minutes

A motion was made by Mr. Mikol to direct that the School Committee be asked to seek further cuts to their proposed budget that would result in a reduction to the assessment to address the current deficit. The motion was seconded by Ms. Basbanes and passed by majority vote.

The minutes say the motion passed “by majority vote,” without a count or names. Showing the result only.

From the minutes

“A motion was made by Mr. Mikol to direct that the School Committee be asked to seek further cuts to their proposed budget that would result in a reduction to the assessment to address the current deficit. The motion was seconded by Ms. Basbanes and passed by majority vote..” (Motion: Mikol, second: Basbanes)

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

Jun 3Approve the appointments as listed and to dispense with…Motion: A motion was made by Mr. Mikol to approve the appointments…Passed 2–0 · Abstained: James E. Tully

June 3, 2020: Approve the appointments as listed and to dispense with any reading of the list aloud

AppointPassed · 2–0

A motion was made by Mr. Mikol to approve the appointments as listed and to dispense with any reading of the list aloud. The motion was seconded by Ms. Basbanes and passed by majority vote with Mr. Tully abstaining.

Yes: Basbanes, MikolAbstained: James E. TullyThe minutes say the motion passed by majority vote with James Tully abstaining; with only Leah Basbanes and Ron Mikol voting, the motion could pass only with both of their votes, so they are shown voting yes.

From the minutes

“A motion was made by Mr. Mikol to approve the appointments as listed and to dispense with any reading of the list aloud. The motion was seconded by Ms. Basbanes and passed by majority vote with Mr. Tully abstaining..” (Motion: Mikol, second: Basbanes)

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

Jun 3Accept the resignationMotion: A motion was made by Mr. Tully to accept the resignation.…Passed · see note

June 3, 2020: Accept the resignation

ApprovePassed · No count or names in the minutes

A motion was made by Mr. Tully to accept the resignation. The motion was seconded by Mr. Mikol and passed without objection.

The minutes say the motion passed “without objection,” with no count or names. Showing the result only.

From the minutes

“A motion was made by Mr. Tully to accept the resignation. The motion was seconded by Mr. Mikol and passed without objection..” (Motion: James E. Tully, second: Mikol)

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

From the Dunstable Select Board’s official minutes, posted on the town’s Select Board minutes page and in its older minutes archive. 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): Town of Dunstable Select Board meeting video — Ron Mikol (May 2026). Cropped by MassVoter. Former members show initials.

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 →
Get an email when new quizzes open

MassVoter.com · nonpartisan match quiz · About · How the Legislature voted · Local Votes · Privacy · Support MassVoter

Report an error on this page

See something wrong? A wrong vote, name, date or number? Tell us and we’ll check it against the source and fix it. Fixes are listed on our corrections page.