MassVoter.com← NeedhamMunicipal votes · 2025–2026 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 after the April 2025 town election. On April 15, 2025 the board chose Heidi Frail as Chair and Cathy Dowd as Vice Chair; Marianne Cooley declined the nomination for Clerk, and the board chose Josh Levy as Clerk (each 5-0). Covers 37 meetings, April 15 to April 9, 2026.
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
ChairHeidi FrailChair · Elected townwide · at 36 of 37 meetings
Vice-ChairCatherine Reid DowdVice Chair · Elected townwide · at 33 of 37 meetings
Kevin KeaneMember · Elected townwide · at 36 of 37 meetings
Joshua LevyClerk · Elected townwide · at 35 of 37 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 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.
Mar 24Approve the Appointment Calendar and Consent AgendaMotion: the Board vote to approve the Appointment Calendar and Consent Agenda.Passed Unanimous, 4 present · see note
March 24, 2026: Approve the Appointment Calendar and Consent Agenda
The Board vote to approve the Appointment Calendar and Consent Agenda.
Kevin Keane stepped aside (recused) and did not take part in this vote.
From the minutes
“Motion by Ms. Dowd that the Board vote to approve the Appointment Calendar and Consent Agenda. Second: Mr. Levy. Mr. Keane recused himself from the vote. Unanimously approved 4-0..” (Motion: Dowd, second: Levy)
Mar 10Authorize the Town Manager to negotiate a Memorandum of…Motion: the Board authorize the Town Manager to negotiate a Memorandum of…Passed 3–1 · No: Levy
March 10, 2026: Authorize the Town Manager to negotiate a Memorandum of Agreement between the Town and North Hill, subject to final approval by the Select Board
The Board authorize the Town Manager to negotiate a Memorandum of Agreement between the Town and North Hill, subject to final approval by the Select Board.
Yes: Cooley, Dowd, KeaneNo: Levy
From the minutes
“Motion by Mr. Keane that the Board authorize the Town Manager to negotiate a Memorandum of Agreement between the Town and North Hill, subject to final approval by the Select Board. Second: Ms. Cooley. Approved 3-1 by roll call with Mr. Levy opposed..” (Motion: Keane, second: Cooley)
Nov 25Authorize Town Counsel to prepare and submit a response…Motion: the Board vote to authorize Town Counsel to prepare and submit…Passed 4–1 · No: Levy
November 25, 2025: Authorize Town Counsel to prepare and submit a response to the Open Meeting Law complaint
The Board vote to authorize Town Counsel to prepare and submit a response to the Open Meeting Law complaint.
Yes: Cooley, Dowd, Frail, KeaneNo: Levy
From the minutes
“Motion by Mr. Keane that the Board vote to authorize Town Counsel to prepare and submit a response to the Open Meeting Law complaint. Second: Ms. Dowd. Mr. Levy asked if the Board could provide input to the response provided by Mr. Heep. Discussion ensued regarding whether this was appropriate given the motion put forth and that a response be based upon Mr. Heep's legal expertise as opposed to the opinions of any or all Board members. Approved 4-1, with Mr. Levy against..” (Motion: Keane, second: Dowd)
Oct 14Approve and sign the Memorandum of Agreement with the…Motion: the Board approve and sign the Memorandum of Agreement with the…Passed 4–1 · No: Levy
October 14, 2025: Approve and sign the Memorandum of Agreement with the Stephen Palmer Associates Limited Partnership
The Board approve and sign the Memorandum of Agreement with the Stephen Palmer Associates Limited Partnership.
Yes: Cooley, Dowd, Frail, KeaneNo: Levy
From the minutes
“Motion by Ms. Cooley that the Board approve and sign the Memorandum of Agreement with the Stephen Palmer Associates Limited Partnership. Second: Mr. Keane. Approved 4-1 by roll call, with Mr. Levy against..” (Motion: Cooley, second: Keane)
Oct 14Support article 5 in the October 20, 2025 Special…Motion: the Board vote to support article 5 in the October 20,…Passed 4–1 · No: Levy
October 14, 2025: Support article 5 in the October 20, 2025 Special Town Meeting Warrant
The Board vote to support article 5 in the October 20, 2025 Special Town Meeting Warrant.
Yes: Cooley, Dowd, Frail, KeaneNo: Levy
From the minutes
“Motion by Ms. Cooley that the Board vote to support article 5 in the October 20, 2025 Special Town Meeting Warrant. Second: Mr. Keane. Approved 4-1 by roll call with Mr. Levy against..” (Motion: Cooley, second: Keane)
Aug 12Set the public hours for the Recycling and Transfer…Motion: the Board vote to set the public hours for the Recycling…Passed 4–1 · No: Levy
August 12, 2025: Set the public hours for the Recycling and Transfer Station on a year-round basis beginning September 1, 2025 as noted in the agenda
The Board vote to set the public hours for the Recycling and Transfer Station on a year-round basis beginning September 1, 2025 as noted in the agenda.
Yes: Cooley, Dowd, Frail, KeaneNo: Levy
From the minutes
“Motion by Mr. Keane that the Board vote to set the public hours for the Recycling and Transfer Station on a year-round basis beginning September 1, 2025 as noted in the agenda. Second: Ms. Dowd. Approved 4-1 with Mr. Levy against..” (Motion: Keane, second: Dowd)
Jul 22Authorize Town Counsel to prepare and submit a response…Motion: the Board authorize Town Counsel to prepare and submit a response…Passed 4–1 · No: Levy
July 22, 2025: Authorize Town Counsel to prepare and submit a response to the Open Meeting Law complaint
The Board authorize Town Counsel to prepare and submit a response to the Open Meeting Law complaint.
Yes: Cooley, Dowd, Frail, KeaneNo: Levy
From the minutes
“Motion by Ms. Dowd that the Board authorize Town Counsel to prepare and submit a response to the Open Meeting Law complaint. Second: Ms. Cooley. Approved 4-1 by roll call vote with Mr. Levy against..” (Motion: Dowd, second: Cooley)
Jun 10Appoint Amanda Berman to the Needham Housing Authority Board…Motion: the Select Board and Needham Housing Authority Board of Commissioners vote…Passed 4–1 · No: Levy
June 10, 2025: Appoint Amanda Berman to the Needham Housing Authority Board of Commissioners until the next Town Election (joint vote with the Housing Authority board)
The Select Board and Needham Housing Authority Board of Commissioners vote to appoint Amanda Berman to the Needham Housing Authority Board of Commissioners until the next Town Election.
Yes: Cooley, Dowd, Frail, KeaneNo: LevyA joint vote of the Select Board and the Needham Housing Authority Board of Commissioners ("Approved 7-1 by roll call vote of both Boards"). Shown here are the five Select Board members' votes from the roll call. The seconder, Ms. Bennett, is a Housing Authority commissioner.
From the minutes
“Motion by Mr. Keane that the Select Board and Needham Housing Authority Board of Commissioners vote to appoint Amanda Berman to the Needham Housing Authority Board of Commissioners until the next Town Election. Second: Ms. Bennett. Discussion continued regarding Ms. Berman's specific skills that are advantageous in this role. Board members also weighed the advantages and drawbacks of appointing individuals who are already serving on Town committees compared with new individuals. Mr. Flanagan expressed his support for Ms. Berman given the most urgent work ahead of the NHA Board of Commissioners at the moment. Approved 7-1 by roll call vote of both Boards: Ms. Dowd - Yes Ms. Cooley - Yes Mr. Levy - No Mr. Keane - Yes Ms. Frail - Yes Mr. Foster - Yes Mr. Flanagan - Yes.” (Motion: Keane)
Jun 10Adopt the revised Envision Needham Center Working Group Charge…Motion: the Board vote to adopt the revised Envision Needham Center Working…Passed 3–2 · see note
June 10, 2025: Adopt the revised Envision Needham Center Working Group Charge and Composition as presented in the Agenda Packet
The Board vote to adopt the revised Envision Needham Center Working Group Charge and Composition as presented in the Agenda Packet.
The minutes give only the count (3-2), not how each member voted.
From the minutes
“Motion by Mr. Levy that the Board vote to adopt the revised Envision Needham Center Working Group Charge and Composition as presented in the Agenda Packet. Second: Ms. Dowd. Approved 3-2..” (Motion: Levy, second: Dowd)
May 27Support the Charles River Center's Charles River Heights project…Motion: the Board vote to support the Charles River Center's Charles River…Passed 4–1 · No: Levy
May 27, 2025: Support the Charles River Center's Charles River Heights project as a "Friendly 40B." Mr. Levy expressed his preference that zoning relief be sought from the Planning Board
The Board vote to support the Charles River Center's Charles River Heights project as a "Friendly 40B." Mr. Levy expressed his preference that zoning relief be sought from the Planning Board. He further noted that there are no established review criteria for the Select Board to use in evaluating requests such as this one, and he suggested that the Select Board establish such criteria. He stated that he would be voting against due to these reasons although he supported the project itself.
Yes: Cooley, Dowd, Frail, KeaneNo: Levy
From the minutes
“Motion by Mr. Keane that the Board vote to support the Charles River Center's Charles River Heights project as a "Friendly 40B." Mr. Levy expressed his preference that zoning relief be sought from the Planning Board. He further noted that there are no established review criteria for the Select Board to use in evaluating requests such as this one, and he suggested that the Select Board establish such criteria. He stated that he would be voting against due to these reasons although he supported the project itself. Second: Ms. Dowd. Approved 4-1, with Mr. Levy against..” (Motion: Keane, second: Dowd)
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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