How the Marshfield Select Board voted, from the Select Board’s official minutes. 3 Select Board members elected townwide. Eric S. Kelley joined the board after the 2024 town election; James J. Kilcoyne left. On May 6, 2024 the board chose Lynne E. Fidler as Chair, Stephen R. Darcy as Vice Chair and Eric S. Kelley as Clerk. Covers 38 meetings, May 6 to April 24, 2025.
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 Marshfield, 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.
Special Town Meeting · April 28, 2025 31 votes: 29 passed, 1 passed as amended, 1 indefinitely postponed
Art. 20Petition: bar excavation, filling, tree cutting and similar work in the Dredge Spoils Area on Joseph Driebeck Way, with listed exceptionsPassed“This Article passed by a declared majority vote.”
Not here yet: the June 24, 2024 Special Town Meeting (not in the 2024 Annual Town Report; only its warrant is posted), the October 20, 2025 Special Town Meeting (not in the 2025 Annual Town Report; only its warrant is posted) and the April 27, 2026 Annual and Special Town Meetings (minutes not posted yet).
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: Select Board minutes from January 3, 2018 through August 19, 2026, as posted on the town website (the board was called the Board of Selectmen until 2021). Not here yet: minutes before 2018, and minutes the town has not posted. The town lists agendas but no minutes for 13 Select Board meetings between July 5, 2025 and July 5, 2026, and for every meeting after August 19, 2026. Seven short minutes that cover only a vote to go into executive session are not included. Marshfield's minutes give each motion with who made and seconded it. When they say "The vote was unanimous" we show every member present as voting yes, and when they list a roll call (aye/nay by name), as most votes from 2020 on do, we show each member's vote as recorded; "present" in a roll call is shown as abstaining. When they give only a count that does not account for every member present (for example 2-1 with no names, or 2-0 with three members present), or a roll call that names a member the minutes list as absent or does not match the stated count, we show the count only and add a note. Members who stepped aside (recused) are left out of that vote. Votes taken jointly with another board (Board of Public Works, Housing Authority, Trustees of Veterans Memorials) are not included. A few 2026 minutes record a vote without the wording of the motion; those show the agenda item instead. We will ask the town to confirm any noted vote.
“Ms. Fidler moved, seconded by Mr. Darcy, to approve the separation agreement. The vote was 2:1 (Ms. Fidler: aye; Mr. Darcy: aye; Mr. Kelley: nay)..” (Motion: Fidler, second: Darcy)
Mar 24Amend the School Department's education line for the FY26…Motion: to amend the School Department's education line for the FY26 budget…Passed 2–1 · No: Kelley
March 24, 2025: Amend the School Department's education line for the FY26 budget from $59,433,376 as voted by the Select Board in January to $59,705,002, an increase of $271,616
ApprovePassed · 2–1
To amend the School Department's education line for the FY26 budget from $59,433,376 as voted by the Select Board in January to $59,705,002, an increase of $271,616.
Yes: Darcy, FidlerNo: Kelley
From the minutes
“Lynne Fidler moved, seconded by Stephen Darcy, to amend the School Department's education line for the FY26 budget from $59,433,376 as voted by the Select Board in January to $59,705,002, an increase of $271,616. The vote was 2:1. Roll Call Vote: Ms. Fidler – aye; Mr. Darcy – aye; Mr. Kelley – nay..” (Motion: Fidler, second: Darcy)
Mar 24Support this article (STM Article 1 – unpaid bill…Motion: to support this article.Passed 2–0 · Abstained: Kelley
March 24, 2025: Support this article (STM Article 1 – unpaid bill article)
ApprovePassed · 2–0
To support this article.
Yes: Darcy, FidlerAbstained: KelleyEric S. Kelley answered "present" in the roll call (did not vote yes or no); shown as abstaining.
From the minutes
“Ms. Fidler moved, seconded by Mr. Darcy, to support this article. The vote was 2:0. Roll Call Vote: Ms. Fidler – aye; Mr. Darcy – aye; Mr. Kelley – present..” (Motion: Fidler, second: Darcy)
Mar 24Support this article (STM Article 2 – personnel bylaw…Motion: to support this article.Passed 2–0 · Abstained: Kelley
March 24, 2025: Support this article (STM Article 2 – personnel bylaw compensation)
ApprovePassed · 2–0
To support this article.
Yes: Darcy, FidlerAbstained: KelleyEric S. Kelley answered "present" in the roll call (did not vote yes or no); shown as abstaining.
From the minutes
“Ms. Fidler moved, seconded by Mr. Darcy, to support this article. The vote was 2:0. Roll Call Vote: Ms. Fidler – aye; Mr. Darcy – aye; Mr. Kelley – present..” (Motion: Fidler, second: Darcy)
Mar 24Support this article (STM Article 3 – personnel bylaw…Motion: to support this article.Passed 2–0 · Abstained: Kelley
March 24, 2025: Support this article (STM Article 3 – personnel bylaw paid parental leave)
ApprovePassed · 2–0
To support this article.
Yes: Darcy, FidlerAbstained: KelleyEric S. Kelley answered "present" in the roll call (did not vote yes or no); shown as abstaining.
From the minutes
“Ms. Fidler moved, seconded by Mr. Darcy, to support this article. The vote was 2:0. Roll Call Vote: Ms. Fidler – aye; Mr. Darcy – aye; Mr. Kelley – present..” (Motion: Fidler, second: Darcy)
Mar 24Support this article (STM Article 5 – lease of…Motion: to support this article.Passed 2–0 · Abstained: Kelley
March 24, 2025: Support this article (STM Article 5 – lease of space for photovoltaics)
ApprovePassed · 2–0
To support this article.
Yes: Darcy, FidlerAbstained: KelleyEric S. Kelley answered "present" in the roll call (did not vote yes or no); shown as abstaining.
From the minutes
“Ms. Fidler moved, seconded by Mr. Darcy, to support this article. The vote was 2:0. Roll Call Vote: Ms. Fidler – aye; Mr. Darcy – aye; Mr. Kelley – present..” (Motion: Fidler, second: Darcy)
Mar 24Support this article as amended (STM Article 6 –…Motion: to support this article as amended.Passed 2–0 · Abstained: Kelley
March 24, 2025: Support this article as amended (STM Article 6 – free cash article)
ApprovePassed · 2–0
To support this article as amended.
Yes: Darcy, FidlerAbstained: KelleyEric S. Kelley answered "present" in the roll call (did not vote yes or no); shown as abstaining.
From the minutes
“Ms. Fidler moved, seconded by Mr. Darcy, to support this article as amended. The vote was 2:0. Roll Call Vote: Ms. Fidler – aye; Mr. Darcy – aye; Mr. Kelley – present..” (Motion: Fidler, second: Darcy)
Mar 24Support this article (STM Article 7 – rescind appropriation…Motion: to support this article.Passed 2–0 · Abstained: Kelley
March 24, 2025: Support this article (STM Article 7 – rescind appropriation from Fall 2023 STM)
ApprovePassed · 2–0
To support this article.
Yes: Darcy, FidlerAbstained: KelleyEric S. Kelley answered "present" in the roll call (did not vote yes or no); shown as abstaining.
From the minutes
“Ms. Fidler moved, seconded by Mr. Darcy, to support this article. The vote was 2:0. Roll Call Vote: Ms. Fidler – aye; Mr. Darcy – aye; Mr. Kelley – present..” (Motion: Fidler, second: Darcy)
Mar 24Support this article (STM Article 8 – amend zoning…Motion: to support this article.Passed 2–0 · Abstained: Kelley
March 24, 2025: Support this article (STM Article 8 – amend zoning bylaw, protected ADUs)
ApprovePassed · 2–0
To support this article.
Yes: Darcy, FidlerAbstained: KelleyEric S. Kelley answered "present" in the roll call (did not vote yes or no); shown as abstaining.
From the minutes
“Ms. Fidler moved, seconded by Mr. Darcy, to support this article. The vote was 2:0. Roll Call Vote: Ms. Fidler – aye; Mr. Darcy – aye; Mr. Kelley – present..” (Motion: Fidler, second: Darcy)
Mar 24Support this article (STM Article 9 – amend zoning…Motion: to support this article.Passed 2–0 · Abstained: Kelley
March 24, 2025: Support this article (STM Article 9 – amend zoning bylaw, definitions)
ApprovePassed · 2–0
To support this article.
Yes: Darcy, FidlerAbstained: KelleyEric S. Kelley answered "present" in the roll call (did not vote yes or no); shown as abstaining.
From the minutes
“Ms. Fidler moved, seconded by Mr. Darcy, to support this article. The vote was 2:0. Roll Call Vote: Ms. Fidler – aye; Mr. Darcy – aye; Mr. Kelley – present..” (Motion: Fidler, second: Darcy)
From the Marshfield Select Board’s official minutes, posted on the town website. We check every vote against the Select Board members present and quote the exact wording. MassVoter never grades or scores officials. Photos of current members: stills from WATD News candidate videos (Chris Rohland and Rick Smith, 2026) and Marshfield Community Media’s “Meet the Candidates” (Eric Kelley). Former members show initials.