How the Natick Select Board voted, from the Select Board’s official minutes. 5 Select Board members elected townwide for three-year terms. Kristen Pope was elected and Richard Sidney re-elected at the March 2023 town election; Michael Hickey stepped down from the board. On March 29, 2023 the board chose Bruce Evans as Chair, Kathryn Coughlin as Vice-Chair and Richard Sidney as Clerk (each 5-0-0). Covers 25 meetings, March 29 to March 6, 2024.
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 Natick, 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.
Spring Annual Town Meeting, April 30 session (electronic votes only) · April 30, 2026 10 votes: 10 passed
Not here yet: Natick's 2026 Spring Annual Town Meeting has no Town Clerk minutes posted yet, so only its electronic votes from April 28 and April 30, 2026 are here; the 2026 Fall Annual Town Meeting starts October 20, 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).
"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: Natick Select Board minutes from January 16, 2018 through August 11, 2026: 339 meetings and 2,671 votes. The town posts the board’s minutes on yearly pages (2013–2026) linked from its Minutes page; MassVoter loaded January 2018 on. The board was the Board of Selectmen until 2020; its minutes are headed “Select Board” from July 15, 2020. The minutes are typed documents with searchable text. A few files carry the wrong date: two 2026 files are titled “February 25, 2025” and “February 4, 2025,” and others repeat an earlier meeting’s date in the heading (the May 27, 2026 minutes are headed May 13; the July 9, 2026 minutes are headed July 8). MassVoter dated each meeting from its contents and the town’s meeting list. Not here: executive-session minutes (27 released executive-session files on the yearly pages are not loaded); the votes of the School Committee and other boards at joint meetings; and meetings on the town’s video and agenda list (Granicus) with no minutes posted – about 150 sessions from 2018 to September 2026, some of them executive-session-only meetings, site walks or events where no business was done, and, since July 2025, the meetings of July 14 and October 7, 2025 (a workshop on the Johnson School), March 9 and May 6, 2026 (board retreats) and June 24, 2026. MassVoter is asking the town for the missing minutes. Minutes after August 11, 2026 are not posted yet (July 22, August 18, August 19, August 24, September 2 (two sessions), September 9, September 16 and September 30, 2026). Natick’s minutes name the mover and seconder; most votes read “The motion passed unanimously” or give a count (“Motion approved 5-0-0”), shown as every member present voting yes when the count equals the members present. Roll calls by name (the 2020–2021 remote meetings and many 2025–2026 votes: “Roll call vote: Ms. Coughlin: Yes, Mr. Sidney: Yes, …”) are shown by name; split votes usually name the members who voted no or abstained (“Motion passed 4-1-0 … with Ms. Coughlin opposed”), shown with the other members present voting yes. Where the count does not fit the members present or the minutes do not say who voted no or abstained (“4-0-1”), we show the count only (23 votes); where the minutes give no count and no unanimity wording, and for choices between candidates by ballot, we show the result only (51 votes). Failed motions are shown member by member when the minutes name the voters (6 failed votes). Members who arrived late or left early are not shown in the votes they missed. 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.
Jan 24Uphold Terri Evans' reappointment to the Open Space Advisory…Motion: On a motion made by Ms. Coughlin, seconded by Mr. Joseph,…Passed 4–0 · see note
January 24, 2024: Uphold Terri Evans' reappointment to the Open Space Advisory Committee
AppointPassed · 4–0
On a motion made by Ms. Coughlin, seconded by Mr. Joseph, the Board unanimously voted to uphold Terri Evans' reappointment to the Open Space Advisory Committee. 4-0-0 (Mr. Evans recused)
Yes: Coughlin, Joseph, Pope, SidneyThe minutes say Bruce T. Evans recused, so that member is not shown voting.
From the minutes
“On a motion made by Ms. Coughlin, seconded by Mr. Joseph, the Board unanimously voted to uphold Terri Evans' reappointment to the Open Space Advisory Committee. 4-0-0 (Mr. Evans recused).” (Motion: Coughlin, second: Joseph)
Chair Evans moved for the global replace of Town Administrator with Town Manager. (Nobody seconded) Board voted 5-0-0 in support of Motion.
The minutes do not name a seconder.
From the minutes
“Chair Evans moved for the global replace of Town Administrator with Town Manager. (Nobody seconded) Board voted 5-0-0 in support of Motion..” (Motion: Evans)
Dec 12Have Town Meeting be the Appointing Authority. Mr. Joseph…Motion: On a motion by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mr. Sidney, the…Passed 4–0 · Abstained: Joseph
December 12, 2023: Have Town Meeting be the Appointing Authority. Mr. Joseph - abstain
AppointPassed · 4–0
On a motion by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mr. Sidney, the Board voted 4-0-1 to have Town Meeting be the Appointing Authority. Mr. Joseph - abstain.
Yes: Coughlin, Evans, Pope, SidneyAbstained: JosephThe minutes give the count as 4-0-1 and name the exception (“Mr. Joseph - abstain”); the other members present are shown voting yes.
From the minutes
“On a motion by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mr. Sidney, the Board voted 4-0-1 to have Town Meeting be the Appointing Authority. Mr. Joseph - abstain..” (Motion: Evans, second: Sidney)
Dec 12Support the preamble changes and remove paragraph (f)Motion: On a motion by Mr. Sidney, seconded by Mr. Joseph, the…Passed 4–0 · see note
December 12, 2023: Support the preamble changes and remove paragraph (f)
ApprovePassed · 4–0
On a motion by Mr. Sidney, seconded by Mr. Joseph, the Board voted 4-0-1 to support the preamble changes and remove paragraph (f).
The minutes give the count as 4-0-1 but do not say who voted no or abstained. Showing the count only.
From the minutes
“On a motion by Mr. Sidney, seconded by Mr. Joseph, the Board voted 4-0-1 to support the preamble changes and remove paragraph (f)..” (Motion: Sidney, second: Joseph)
Sep 27Recommend favorable action on this article. Mr. Joseph abstainedMotion: On a motion by Mr. Sidney, seconded by Ms. Pope, the…Passed 4–0 · Abstained: Joseph
September 27, 2023: Recommend favorable action on this article. Mr. Joseph abstained
ApprovePassed · 4–0
On a motion by Mr. Sidney, seconded by Ms. Pope, the Board voted 4-0-1 to recommend favorable action on this article. Mr. Joseph abstained.
Yes: Coughlin, Evans, Pope, SidneyAbstained: JosephThe minutes give the count as 4-0-1 and name the exception (“Mr. Joseph abstained”); the other members present are shown voting yes.
From the minutes
“On a motion by Mr. Sidney, seconded by Ms. Pope, the Board voted 4-0-1 to recommend favorable action on this article. Mr. Joseph abstained..” (Motion: Sidney, second: Pope)
On a motion by Ms. Sidney, seconded by Ms. Coughlin, the Board unanimously voted to refer Article 32 back to the sponsor.
Yes: Coughlin, Evans, Pope, SidneyPaul R. Joseph had left the meeting at 8:00 PM before this vote and is not shown voting.
From the minutes
“On a motion by Ms. Sidney, seconded by Ms. Coughlin, the Board unanimously voted to refer Article 32 back to the sponsor..” (Motion: Sidney, second: Coughlin)
On a motion by Ms. Coughlin, seconded by Mr. Sidney, the Board unanimously voted indefinite postponement on Article 13.
Yes: Coughlin, Evans, Pope, SidneyPaul R. Joseph had left the meeting at 8:00 PM before this vote and is not shown voting.
From the minutes
“On a motion by Ms. Coughlin, seconded by Mr. Sidney, the Board unanimously voted indefinite postponement on Article 13..” (Motion: Coughlin, second: Sidney)
On a motion by Mr. Sidney, seconded by Ms. Coughlin, the Board unanimously voted indefinite postponement on Article 13.
Yes: Coughlin, Evans, Pope, SidneyPaul R. Joseph had left the meeting at 8:00 PM before this vote and is not shown voting.
From the minutes
“On a motion by Mr. Sidney, seconded by Ms. Coughlin, the Board unanimously voted indefinite postponement on Article 13..” (Motion: Sidney, second: Coughlin)
From the Natick Select Board’s official minutes, posted on the yearly minutes pages linked from the town’s Minutes page. 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): Natick Report — Kristen Pope and Cody Jacobs (March 2026), Bruce Evans (March 2025) and Linda Wollschlager (March 2024 swearing-in, captioned); Natick Patch — Kathryn Coughlin (March 2022, courtesy of the candidate). Cropped by MassVoter. Former members show initials.