MassVoter.com← NeedhamMunicipal votes · 2020–2021 Board
Needham Select Board
How the Needham Select Board voted, from the Select Board’s official minutes. 5 Select Board members elected townwide. Same five members. On April 14, 2020 the board chose Maurice P. Handel as Chair, Matthew D. Borrelli as Vice-Chair and Marianne B. Cooley as Secretary/Clerk (each 5-0 by roll call). Covers 37 meetings, April 14 to April 6, 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.
Sources: Massachusetts Select Board Handbook (MMA) · Mass. Division of Local Services: the town budgetBoard years
Coming up
MassVoter can’t read Needham’s meeting calendar automatically yet. See upcoming meetings on the official site →
Members
"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 2019) from January 9, 2018 through August 3, 2026, from the town’s online Archive Center, which holds Select Board minutes back to 2006 (MassVoter has loaded 2018 on). Joint meetings with other boards are included, but only the Select Board’s own votes. Not here: executive-session minutes; minutes of the board’s two-member subcommittees; minutes the town has not posted for 23 other meeting dates that have an agenda in the Archive Center: March 13, April 9 and April 24, 2018; March 26, 2019; April 29, 2020 (joint meeting with the Council of Economic Advisors), August 11, 2020 (joint meeting with the Affordable Housing Trust), November 3, 2020 (executive session) and November 19, 2020; March 15, April 27, October 21, October 25, November 16 (executive session), November 23, November 30 and December 14, 2021; October 24 and November 9, 2022; January 9, January 18 and October 30, 2023; November 25, 2024; and June 23, 2025; and every meeting after August 3, 2026 (the town usually posts minutes about two months after a meeting). The minutes are typed PDFs with a text layer, except 2 scanned files from 2018–2019 that MassVoter read with text recognition. Needham’s minutes give the mover and seconder of each motion and the result, almost always with a count (“Unanimously approved 5-0”, “Approved 4-1, with Mr. Levy against”), and sometimes a roll call by name. When the minutes say the vote was unanimous and the count matches the members present, we show every member present as voting yes; when they name the members who voted no or abstained and the count adds up, everyone else present is shown voting yes. Where a count does not match the members the minutes show as present, or a split count does not say who voted which way, we show the count only and add a note. Members who stepped aside (recused), had not yet arrived or had left are left out of that vote. We will ask the town to confirm any noted vote.
Votes where members disagreed
Most board votes are unanimous. These are the ones where at least one member voted no or abstained, newest first.
Jan 12This meeting be continued to the Select Board's next…Motion: this meeting be continued to the Select Board's next scheduled meeting…Passed Unanimous, 4 present · see note
January 12, 2021: This meeting be continued to the Select Board's next scheduled meeting on Tuesday, January 27, 2021, if a technical problem develops that makes it impossible for the Select Board to…
This meeting be continued to the Select Board's next scheduled meeting on Tuesday, January 27, 2021, if a technical problem develops that makes it impossible for the Select Board to conduct the meeting in this format.
Maurice P. Handel had not yet arrived.
From the minutes
“Motion by Mr. Bulian that this meeting be continued to the Select Board's next scheduled meeting on Tuesday, January 27, 2021, if a technical problem develops that makes it impossible for the Select Board to conduct the meeting in this format. Second: Mr. Matthews. Unanimously approved 4-0 by roll call vote..” (Motion: Bulian, second: Matthews)
Jan 12In recognition of Trader Joe's - Needham efforts to…Motion: in recognition of Trader Joe's - Needham efforts to help keep…Passed Unanimous, 4 present · see note
January 12, 2021: In recognition of Trader Joe's - Needham efforts to help keep Needham's seniors safe during the COVID-19 pandemic by providing and packing over 1,500 bags of groceries that we were…
In recognition of Trader Joe's - Needham efforts to help keep Needham's seniors safe during the COVID-19 pandemic by providing and packing over 1,500 bags of groceries that we were able to deliver to this at-risk population. We thank you for your commitment to serving this community.
Maurice P. Handel had not yet arrived.
From the minutes
“Motion by Mr. Bulian in recognition of Trader Joe's - Needham efforts to help keep Needham's seniors safe during the COVID-19 pandemic by providing and packing over 1,500 bags of groceries that we were able to deliver to this at-risk population. We thank you for your commitment to serving this community. Second: Mr. Matthews. Unanimously approved 4-0 by roll call vote..” (Motion: Bulian, second: Matthews)
Jan 12Approve the Appointments and Consent Agenda as presentedMotion: the Select Board vote to approve the Appointments and Consent Agenda…Passed Unanimous, 4 present · see note
January 12, 2021: Approve the Appointments and Consent Agenda as presented
The Select Board vote to approve the Appointments and Consent Agenda as presented. APPOINTMENTS: No Appointments were made at this meeting. CONSENT AGENDA 1. Accept the following donations made to the Needham Community Revitalization Trust Fund: $3500 from JMS Family Foundation, Inc., $50 from Adam Raff, and $25 from Isaac Hughes. 2. Accept the following donation made to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Maintenance Donation Fund: $2000 from William Jones, Jr. and $40 from Jo- Ann & Rich Rosen. 3. Approve technical change from approval of 12/22/2020 agenda - Executive Session minutes of 11/1/2020 should be 11/24/2020. 4. Approve and sign application for recertification as Tree City USA for 2020. 5. Upon the recommendation of the Assistant Town Manager/Director of Finance, change the mileage reimbursement rate from 57.5 cents to 56 cents per mile consistent with the rate determined by the IRS. 6. Authorize to extend Free Parking Meter Parking for Two Hours through June 30, 2021. 7. Accept a $5,000 donation made to Needham Youth & Family Services from the Highrock Metro West Church. These funds were raised by the Jog For Joy 5K held back in December 2020 in support of mental health awareness programs. 8. Water and Sewer Abatement Order #1302. 9. Approve Open Session minutes of 12/22/2020, and minutes from 11/18/2020. 10. Accept the following gifts received by the Needham Public Library for the period of September 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020: John Comando gave the library a copy of
Maurice P. Handel had not yet arrived.
From the minutes
“Motion by Mr. Bulian that the Select Board vote to approve the Appointments and Consent Agenda as presented. APPOINTMENTS: No Appointments were made at this meeting. CONSENT AGENDA 1. Accept the following donations made to the Needham Community Revitalization Trust Fund: $3500 from JMS Family Foundation, Inc., $50 from Adam Raff, and $25 from Isaac Hughes. 2. Accept the following donation made to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Maintenance Donation Fund: $2000 from William Jones, Jr. and $40 from Jo- Ann & Rich Rosen. 3. Approve technical change from approval of 12/22/2020 agenda - Executive Session minutes of 11/1/2020 should be 11/24/2020. 4. Approve and sign application for recertification as Tree City USA for 2020. 5. Upon the recommendation of the Assistant Town Manager/Director of Finance, change the mileage reimbursement rate from 57.5 cents to 56 cents per mile consistent with the rate determined by the IRS. 6. Authorize to extend Free Parking Meter Parking for Two Hours through June 30, 2021. 7. Accept a $5,000 donation made to Needham Youth & Family Services from the Highrock Metro West Church. These funds were raised by the Jog For Joy 5K held back in December 2020 in support of mental health awareness programs. 8. Water and Sewer Abatement Order #1302. 9. Approve Open Session minutes of 12/22/2020, and minutes from 11/18/2020. 10. Accept the following gifts received by the Needham Public Library for the period of September 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020: John Comando gave the library a copy of his book, Walk by My Side ($7.99); Debra Doxer donated two copies of her book, Where Butterflies Go ($13.00 each); Elinor Brady donated a copy of Isabel Wilkerson's book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents ($32.00); Emily Richmond Wheeler donated $55.00 that will be used to purchase a new book-on-CD; and Ellen Knizeski made a $200.00 donation for the purchase of new mystery books in memory of her parents Bernie and Eileen Ford. Second: Mr. Matthews. Unanimously approved 4-0 by roll call vote..” (Motion: Bulian, second: Matthews)
Sep 22Approve and sign a petition from Eversource Energy to…Motion: the Select Board vote to approve and sign a petition from…Passed Unanimous, 4 present · see note
September 22, 2020: Approve and sign a petition from Eversource Energy to install approximately 4 1/2 feet of conduit in Central Avenue
The Select Board vote to approve and sign a petition from Eversource Energy to install approximately 4 1/2 feet of conduit in Central Avenue. This work is necessary to provide underground electric service to 1681 Central Avenue, Needham.
Matthew D. Borrelli stepped aside (recused) and did not take part in this vote.
From the minutes
“Motion by Mr. Bulian that the Select Board vote to approve and sign a petition from Eversource Energy to install approximately 4 1/2 feet of conduit in Central Avenue. This work is necessary to provide underground electric service to 1681 Central Avenue, Needham. Second: Ms. Cooley. Unanimously approved 4-0 by roll call vote..” (Motion: Bulian, second: Cooley)
Aug 6Change the polling location for precincts E & H…Motion: the Select Board vote to change the polling location for precincts…Passed 4–1 · No: Bulian
August 6, 2020 (Special meeting): Change the polling location for precincts E & H from the Public Services Administration Building to the Needham Golf Club, 49 Green Street for the September 1, 2020 and November…
The Select Board vote to change the polling location for precincts E & H from the Public Services Administration Building to the Needham Golf Club, 49 Green Street for the September 1, 2020 and November 3, 2020 elections.
Yes: Borrelli, Cooley, Handel, MatthewsNo: Bulian
From the minutes
“Motion by Mr. Borrelli that the Select Board vote to change the polling location for precincts E & H from the Public Services Administration Building to the Needham Golf Club, 49 Green Street for the September 1, 2020 and November 3, 2020 elections. Second: Mr. Matthews. Approved 4-1 by roll call vote. Mr. Bulian voted nay..” (Motion: Borrelli, second: Matthews)
From the Needham Select Board’s official minutes, posted in the town’s Archive Center. We check every vote against the Select Board members present and quote the exact wording. MassVoter never grades or scores officials. Photos: Town of Needham, “Needham Select Board, April 2026–April 2027” member sheet.
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