← Falmouth

Municipal votes · 2022–2023 Board

Falmouth Select Board

How the Falmouth Select Board voted, from the Select Board’s official minutes. 5 Select Board members elected townwide. Scott Zylinski joined the board after the May 2022 town election; Megan English Braga left. On May 23, 2022 the board chose Nancy Taylor as Chair (nominated by Onjalé Scott Price) and Onjalé Scott Price as Vice Chair (nominated by Nancy Taylor), each 5-0. Covers 41 meetings, May 23 to May 1, 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 budget
Election Day · Tuesday, Nov 3

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

Start my ballot →

Board years

Coming up

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

What Town Meeting decided

In Falmouth, 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. Town Meeting members are elected by precinct; counts are from the town’s electronic voting.

Annual Town Meeting · April 6, 2026 35 votes: 31 passed, 1 passed as amended, 1 failed, 2 indefinitely postponed

Sessions: April 6 and 7, 2026

Source: Town Clerk's certified votes, April 6-7, 2026 Annual Town Meeting.

Annual Town Meeting · November 17, 2025 24 votes: 17 passed, 1 passed as amended, 3 failed, 3 indefinitely postponed

Source: Town Clerk's certified votes, November 17, 2025 Annual Town Meeting.

Annual Town Meeting · April 7, 2025 42 votes: 40 passed, 1 passed as amended, 1 failed

Source: Town Clerk's certified votes, April 7, 2025 Annual Town Meeting.

Annual Town Meeting · November 18, 2024 36 votes: 31 passed, 1 failed, 4 indefinitely postponed

Source: Town Clerk's certified votes, November 18, 2024 Annual Town Meeting.

Annual Town Meeting · April 8, 2024 37 votes: 32 passed, 2 passed as amended, 1 failed, 2 indefinitely postponed

Source: Town Clerk's certified votes, April 8, 2024 Annual Town Meeting.

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

Doug BrownMember · Elected townwide · at 41 of 41 meetingsSam PattersonMember · Elected townwide · at 39 of 41 meetingsScott ZylinskiMember · Elected townwide · at 41 of 41 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: Select Board minutes (called the Board of Selectmen until 2020) from January 2, 2018 through August 17, 2026, from the town’s CivicClerk meeting portal, which holds the same minutes files as the town’s old Agenda Center (minutes back to August 2004; MassVoter has loaded January 2018 on). Also loaded: joint meetings (Finance Committee, Board of Health, Planning Board, School Committee, Zoning Board of Appeals), strategic-planning workshops and two public meetings. Not here: minutes the town has not posted (about 39 calendar dates since 2018 have an agenda but no minutes, most of them workshops, executive sessions or community events, but also business meetings such as December 19, 2024 and March 5, 2025); two files posted as minutes that are the board’s Strategic Plan (June 28, 2018 and July 1, 2019); released executive-session minutes; and every meeting after August 17, 2026 (Falmouth usually posts minutes about six weeks after a meeting). Falmouth’s minutes are typed. Most give the mover and seconder and a count (“Vote: Yes-5. No-0.”); during the remote meetings of 2020-2021 and for executive-session votes they give a roll call by name (“Roll Call Vote: Ms. Moran, aye; Mr. Jones, aye; ...”). When the count matches the members present, we show every member present as voting yes, and when the minutes name the members who voted no or abstained (“Yes-4. No-1 (Mr. Jones)”), everyone else present as voting yes. Where the minutes give only a split count without names, a roll call leaves out a member who was there or names one who was not, or the count does not match the members present, we show the count only and add a note. Motions with no vote written down are shown with no count. Members who stepped aside (recused) or were out of the room are left out of that vote. Votes taken by other boards at joint meetings are not included. A few meetings have no attendance list; there the members present are taken from the roll calls, with a note. We will ask the town to confirm any noted vote.

Monday, May 1, 2023 · Regular meeting17 recorded votes, 1 with disagreementAll 5 members presentMonday, April 24, 2023 · Regular meeting19 recorded votes, 0 with disagreementAll 5 members presentMonday, April 10, 2023 · Regular meeting2 recorded votes, 0 with disagreementAbsent: Sam PattersonMonday, April 10, 2023 · Regular meeting7 recorded votes, 2 with disagreementAll 5 members presentMonday, April 3, 2023 · Regular meeting19 recorded votes, 1 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.

May 1Approve and release minutes: Public Session - April 10,…Motion: To approve and release for public access.Passed 4–0 · Abstained: Patterson

May 1, 2023: Approve and release minutes: Public Session - April 10, 2023 (meetings 1 and 2) Meeting 1

ApprovePassed · 4–0

To approve and release for public access.

Yes: Brown, Price, Taylor, ZylinskiAbstained: Patterson

From the minutes

“Ms. Scott Price motioned to approve and release for public access. Mr. Brown seconded the motion. Vote: Yes-4. No-0. Abstain-1. (Mr. Patterson Abstained)..” (Motion: Price, second: Brown)

Read it in the official minutes, page 6 (PDF)

Apr 10"The Board, acting as Trustees of the Falmouth Affordable…Motion: "The Board, acting as Trustees of the Falmouth Affordable Housing Fund,…Passed · see note

April 10, 2023: "The Board, acting as Trustees of the Falmouth Affordable Housing Fund, previously voted to grant $4,800,000 to the Falmouth Housing Corporation for the Scranton and Main Project

ApprovePassed · No count or names in the minutes

"The Board, acting as Trustees of the Falmouth Affordable Housing Fund, previously voted to grant $4,800,000 to the Falmouth Housing Corporation for the Scranton and Main Project. Falmouth Housing Corporation has advised they will only need $3,785,000 of said award.

The minutes record this motion but no vote on it.

From the minutes

“Mr. Patterson made the following motion: "The Board, acting as Trustees of the Falmouth Affordable Housing Fund, previously voted to grant $4,800,000 to the Falmouth Housing Corporation for the Scranton and Main Project..” (Motion: Patterson)

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

Apr 10"The Board, acting as Trustees of the Falmouth Affordable…Motion: "The Board, acting as Trustees of the Falmouth Affordable Housing Fund,…Passed · see note

April 10, 2023: "The Board, acting as Trustees of the Falmouth Affordable Housing Fund, previously granted an award to the Falmouth Housing Corporation

ApprovePassed · No count or names in the minutes

"The Board, acting as Trustees of the Falmouth Affordable Housing Fund, previously granted an award to the Falmouth Housing Corporation. Since then, Falmouth Housing Corporation has created a limited liability company (LLC) for the Scranton and Main Project, Scranton Main LLC.

The minutes record this motion but no vote on it.

From the minutes

“Mr. Patterson made the following motion: "The Board, acting as Trustees of the Falmouth Affordable Housing Fund, previously granted an award to the Falmouth Housing Corporation..” (Motion: Patterson)

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

Apr 3Approve as amendedMotion: To approve as amendedPassed 4–0 · see note

April 3, 2023: Approve as amended

ApprovePassed · 4–0

To approve as amended

The minutes say 4-0, but 5 members were present for this vote (Nancy Taylor, Onjalé Scott Price, Sam Patterson, Doug Brown and Scott Zylinski). Showing the count only.

From the minutes

“Motion by Ms. Scott Price: To approve as amended Second: Mr. Zylinski. Vote: Yes - 4 No - 0.” (Motion: Price, second: Zylinski)

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

Apr 1Ask Mr. Johnson-Staub to craft a policy that would…Motion: To ask Mr. Johnson-Staub to craft a policy that would be…Passed 3–2 · No: Price, Taylor

April 1, 2023 (Work Session meeting): Ask Mr. Johnson-Staub to craft a policy that would be broad and flexible and include parameters for how to access the fund

ApprovePassed · 3–2

To ask Mr. Johnson-Staub to craft a policy that would be broad and flexible and include parameters for how to access the fund.

Yes: Brown, Patterson, ZylinskiNo: Price, Taylor

From the minutes

“Mr. Brown motioned to ask Mr. Johnson-Staub to craft a policy that would be broad and flexible and include parameters for how to access the fund. Mr. Zylinski seconded the motion. Vote: Yes-3 (Mr. Zylinski, Mr. Brown, Mr. Patterson). No-2. (Chair Taylor and Ms. Scott Price.).” (Motion: Brown, second: Zylinski)

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

Apr 1Authorize the Town Manager to work with staff to…Motion: To authorize the Town Manager to work with staff to develop…Passed · see note

April 1, 2023 (Work Session meeting): Authorize the Town Manager to work with staff to develop that preparation for Town Meeting and return to the Select Board for modification prior to closing of the warrant

ApprovePassed · No count or names in the minutes

To authorize the Town Manager to work with staff to develop that preparation for Town Meeting and return to the Select Board for modification prior to closing of the warrant. Attorney O'Keefe said this is just part of the bylaw, there needs to be significant policy development and more conversation needs to take place before anything is drafted. Attorney O'Keefe asked, do you want to limit to certain districts for the purpose of regulating them at all? We do not have enough information, but that corporate concern will be part of the draft. Chair Taylor suggested defining the goals first, then bring the Building Department and Board of Health into the conversation. Mr. Patterson suggested including the Cape Cod Commission. Ms. Scott Price would like a backwards timeline provided to the Select Board, she would like to see something on the November 2023 Warrant. When is the bylaw needed to be completed? How to have iterations back and forth? It is critical to have the Building Department and Board of Health on board. We have to figure out where the money will come from to develop this with staff. She would like another workshop on this policy and what it would look like. Chair Taylor would like to see other Towns' policies as well. Mr. Zylinski said that they should go to the community to determine what is important to them, have key points so they are not overlapping among the Select Board. Chair Taylor feels that is a way to structure it. The Select Board needs to establi

The minutes record this motion but no vote on it.

From the minutes

“Mr. Brown motion to authorize the Town Manager to work with staff to develop that preparation for Town Meeting and return to the Select Board for modification prior to closing of the warrant..” (Motion: Brown)

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

Mar 13Approval as requested with the finding that there would…Motion: Approval as requested with the finding that there would be no…Passed · see note

March 13, 2023: Approval as requested with the finding that there would be no detrimental impact to the church

ApprovePassed · No count or names in the minutes

Approval as requested with the finding that there would be no detrimental impact to the church

The minutes record this motion but no vote on it.

From the minutes

“Motion by Mr. Brown: Approval as requested with the finding that there would be no detrimental impact to the church Second: Mr. Patterson Mr..” (Motion: Brown, second: Patterson)

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

Feb 27Appoint Mr. Ingram to a term ending 6/30/23Motion: To appoint Mr. Ingram to a term ending 6/30/23.Passed 4–0 · see note

February 27, 2023: Appoint Mr. Ingram to a term ending 6/30/23

AppointPassed · 4–0

To appoint Mr. Ingram to a term ending 6/30/23.

The minutes say 4-0, but 5 members were present for this vote (Nancy Taylor, Onjalé Scott Price, Doug Brown, Scott Zylinski and Sam Patterson). Showing the count only.

From the minutes

“Mr. Zylinski motioned to appoint Mr. Ingram to a term ending 6/30/23. Mr. Patterson seconded the motion. Vote: Yes-4. No-0..” (Motion: Zylinski, second: Patterson)

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

Feb 27Request to hold a Special Town Meeting for consideration…Motion: To request to hold a Special Town Meeting for consideration of…Passed · see note

February 27, 2023: Request to hold a Special Town Meeting for consideration of the two articles

ApprovePassed · No count or names in the minutes

To request to hold a Special Town Meeting for consideration of the two articles. Mr. Johnson-Staub said the Select Boards needs to vote the following: 1. Call a Special Town Meeting for 4/10/23. 2. Announce the warrant for the Special Town Meeting will close on 3/1/23, then they will have an additional meeting on 3/6/23 to vote the warrant.

The minutes record this motion but no vote on it.

From the minutes

“Mr. Brown made a motion to request to hold a Special Town Meeting for consideration of the two articles..” (Motion: Brown)

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

Feb 27Recommend indefinite postponement of Article 15Motion: To recommend indefinite postponement of Article 15.Passed 3–2 · No: Price, Taylor

February 27, 2023: Recommend indefinite postponement of Article 15

ApprovePassed · 3–2

To recommend indefinite postponement of Article 15.

Yes: Brown, Patterson, ZylinskiNo: Price, Taylor

From the minutes

“Mr. Brown motioned to recommend indefinite postponement of Article 15. Mr. Zylinski seconded the motion. Vote: Yes-3. No-2 (Chair Taylor and Ms. Scott Price.).” (Motion: Brown, second: Zylinski)

Read it in the official minutes, page 6 (PDF)

From the Falmouth Select Board’s official minutes, posted on the town’s Agenda and Meeting Management portal (CivicClerk), linked from the Select Board page. We check every vote against the Select Board members present and quote the exact wording. MassVoter never grades or scores officials. Photos: The Falmouth Enterprise (capenews.net), by Gene M. Marchand and Devin Ankeney, and an Enterprise campaign photo of Heather Goldstone.

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.