How the Dunstable Select Board voted, from the Select Board’s official minutes. 3 Select Board members elected townwide for three-year terms. On July 1, 2020 the board kept Leah D. Basbanes as Chair. James E. Tully resigned; on August 31, 2020 the two remaining members accepted his resignation and called a special election for November 3, 2020. Ronald J. Mikol returned to the board after that election (the November 10, 2020 minutes welcome him back). Covers 28 meetings, July 1 to May 15, 2021.
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 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
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).
"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.
Most board votes are unanimous. These are the ones where at least one member voted no or abstained, newest first.
May 11Approve the letter from NMCOG to authorize its Chair…Motion: A motion was made by Mr. Meehan to approve the letter…Passed · see note
May 11, 2021: Approve the letter from NMCOG to authorize its Chair to sign
ApprovePassed · No count or names in the minutes
A motion was made by Mr. Meehan to approve the letter from NMCOG to authorize its Chair to sign. 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. Meehan to approve the letter from NMCOG to authorize its Chair to sign. The motion was seconded by Mr. Mikol and passed without objection..” (Motion: Meehan, second: Mikol)
May 11Approve the list of Special Police Appointments for Groton…Motion: A motion was made by Mr. Mikol to approve the list…Passed · see note
May 11, 2021: Approve the list of Special Police Appointments for Groton as enumerated and dated April 22nd, 2021, and to dispense with reading of the list
AppointPassed · No count or names in the minutes
A motion was made by Mr. Mikol to approve the list of Special Police Appointments for Groton as enumerated and dated April 22nd, 2021, and to dispense with reading of the list. The motion was seconded by Mr. Meehan 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. Mikol to approve the list of Special Police Appointments for Groton as enumerated and dated April 22nd, 2021, and to dispense with reading of the list. The motion was seconded by Mr. Meehan and passed without objection..” (Motion: Mikol, second: Meehan)
May 11Approve the list of Special Police Appointments for Pepperell…Motion: A motion was made by Mr. Mikol to approve the list…Passed · see note
May 11, 2021: Approve the list of Special Police Appointments for Pepperell as enumerated and dated April 27th, 2021, and to dispense with reading of the list
AppointPassed · No count or names in the minutes
A motion was made by Mr. Mikol to approve the list of Special Police Appointments for Pepperell as enumerated and dated April 27th, 2021, and to dispense with reading of the list. The motion was seconded by Mr. Meehan 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. Mikol to approve the list of Special Police Appointments for Pepperell as enumerated and dated April 27th, 2021, and to dispense with reading of the list. The motion was seconded by Mr. Meehan and passed without objection..” (Motion: Mikol, second: Meehan)
Apr 27Declare the equipment so described by the letter provided…Motion: A motion was made by Mr. Meehan to declare the equipment…Passed · see note
April 27, 2021: Declare the equipment so described by the letter provided by Chief Murray dated for April 23rd, 2021, as obsolete or surplus and to authorize their disposal thereof
ApprovePassed · No count or names in the minutes
A motion was made by Mr. Meehan to declare the equipment so described by the letter provided by Chief Murray dated for April 23rd, 2021, as obsolete or surplus and to authorize their disposal thereof. 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. Meehan to declare the equipment so described by the letter provided by Chief Murray dated for April 23rd, 2021, as obsolete or surplus and to authorize their disposal thereof. The motion was seconded by Mr. Mikol and passed without objection..” (Motion: Meehan, second: Mikol)
Apr 27Approve the list of Annual Appointments, as amended, but…Motion: A motion was made by Mr. Mikol to approve the list…Passed · see note
April 27, 2021: Approve the list of Annual Appointments, as amended, but otherwise dated for April 27th, 2021, and to dispense with reading of the list
AppointPassed · No count or names in the minutes
A motion was made by Mr. Mikol to approve the list of Annual Appointments, as amended, but otherwise dated for April 27th, 2021, and to dispense with reading of the list. The motion was seconded by Mr. Meehan 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. Mikol to approve the list of Annual Appointments, as amended, but otherwise dated for April 27th, 2021, and to dispense with reading of the list. The motion was seconded by Mr. Meehan and passed without objection..” (Motion: Mikol, second: Meehan)
Apr 12Approve the list of Annual Appointments as enumerated and…Motion: A motion was made by Mr. Mikol to approve the list…Passed · see note
April 12, 2021: Approve the list of Annual Appointments as enumerated and dated for April 12th, 2021, and to dispense with reading of the list
AppointPassed · No count or names in the minutes
A motion was made by Mr. Mikol to approve the list of Annual Appointments as enumerated and dated for April 12th, 2021, and to dispense with reading of the list. The motion was seconded by Mr. Meehan 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. Mikol to approve the list of Annual Appointments as enumerated and dated for April 12th, 2021, and to dispense with reading of the list. The motion was seconded by Mr. Meehan and passed without objection..” (Motion: Mikol, second: Meehan)
Apr 12Approve the list of Annual Police Appointments as enumerated…Motion: A motion was made by Mr. Mikol to approve the list…Passed · see note
April 12, 2021: Approve the list of Annual Police Appointments as enumerated and dated April 7th, 2021, and to dispense with reading of the list
AppointPassed · No count or names in the minutes
A motion was made by Mr. Mikol to approve the list of Annual Police Appointments as enumerated and dated April 7th, 2021, and to dispense with reading of the list. The motion was seconded by Mr. Meehan 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. Mikol to approve the list of Annual Police Appointments as enumerated and dated April 7th, 2021, and to dispense with reading of the list. The motion was seconded by Mr. Meehan and passed without objection..” (Motion: Mikol, second: Meehan)
Apr 12Approve the Annual Town Meeting Warrant with the time…Motion: A motion was made by Mr. Mikol to approve the Annual…Passed · see note
April 12, 2021: Approve the Annual Town Meeting Warrant with the time being set at 10 am
ApprovePassed · No count or names in the minutes
A motion was made by Mr. Mikol to approve the Annual Town Meeting Warrant with the time being set at 10 am. The motion was seconded by Mr. Meehan 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. Mikol to approve the Annual Town Meeting Warrant with the time being set at 10 am. The motion was seconded by Mr. Meehan and passed without objection..” (Motion: Mikol, second: Meehan)
Mar 16Appoint Michelle Bobkov to the Advisory Board for a…Motion: A motion was made by Mr. Meehan to appoint Michelle Bobkov…Passed · see note
March 16, 2021: Appoint Michelle Bobkov to the Advisory Board for a term to expire May 18th, 2021
AppointPassed · No count or names in the minutes
A motion was made by Mr. Meehan to appoint Michelle Bobkov to the Advisory Board for a term to expire May 18th, 2021. The motion was seconded by Mr. Mikol and passed by majority vote of both boards.
Joint vote: the minutes say the motion passed by majority vote of both boards, without a count or names. Showing the result only.
From the minutes
“A motion was made by Mr. Meehan to appoint Michelle Bobkov to the Advisory Board for a term to expire May 18th, 2021. The motion was seconded by Mr. Mikol and passed by majority vote of both boards..” (Motion: Meehan, second: Mikol)
Mar 16Appoint those listed above to the Public Safety Building…Motion: A motion was made by Mr. Meehan to appoint those listed…Passed · see note
March 16, 2021: Appoint those listed above to the Public Safety Building Subcommittee for a term to expire on June 30th, 2022
AppointPassed · No count or names in the minutes
A motion was made by Mr. Meehan to appoint those listed above to the Public Safety Building Subcommittee for a term to expire on June 30th, 2022. 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. Meehan to appoint those listed above to the Public Safety Building Subcommittee for a term to expire on June 30th, 2022. The motion was seconded by Ms. Basbanes and passed by majority vote..” (Motion: Meehan, second: Basbanes)
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.