MassVoter.com← NorwellMunicipal votes · 2022–2023 Board
Norwell Select Board
How the Norwell Select Board voted, from the Select Board’s official minutes. 5 Select Board members elected townwide. Bruce W. Graham chaired the board and Jason Brown was Vice Chair. MassVoter has loaded minutes from Jan. 4, 2023 on (the oldest minutes on the town website); this board organized in 2022. The minutes of the Jan. 18, 2023 meeting are not posted. Covers 8 meetings, January 4 to April 26, 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 budgetBoard years
Coming up
MassVoter can’t read Norwell’s meeting calendar automatically yet. See upcoming meetings on the official site →
What Town Meeting decided
In Norwell, Town Meeting — not the Select Board — votes the town budget, bylaws and zoning. Norwell has not posted official results of its 2024–2026 Town Meetings online, so they are not here yet. We will add them when the Town Clerk’s records are available.
What we checked: Norwell has not posted official results for any Town Meeting since January 2024: its Town Meeting page has only warrants, motions and a consent agenda (no Town Clerk minutes or certified votes) for the May 6, 2024 Special and Annual, December 2024 Special, May 5, 2025 Special and Annual, and May 4, 2026 Special and Annual Town Meetings, and its newest Annual Town Report online is for 2023.
Members
Peter W. SmellieMember · Elected townwide · at 7 of 8 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 open-session minutes from January 4, 2023 through September 16, 2026, as posted on the town website (the town’s online archive starts in January 2023). Not here yet: minutes before 2023, minutes after September 16, 2026, and meetings whose minutes the town has not posted, including January 18, 2023, October 18, 2023, December 18, 2024, October 15, 2025, December 22, 2025, January 22, 2026, March 19 and 25, 2026, and April 16 and 28, 2026. Executive session minutes are not included. Six sets of minutes are scanned images, read with text recognition and checked by hand. Norwell’s minutes name who made and seconded each motion. When they say “unanimously voted” we show every member present as voting yes, and when they list how each member voted (by name), we show each vote as recorded. A few votes give only a count (for example, 4 voting yes, 1 voting no) with no names; those show the count only. Six meetings’ minutes have no attendance list, so their unanimous votes show the result only. Where the minutes name a member in a vote who is not on the attendance list, we show the count only and add a note. Members who stepped aside (recused) are left out of that vote. Votes of other boards at joint meetings (Planning Board, Board of Assessors, Capital Budget Committee) and joint votes of the two boards together are not included. 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.
Apr 26Approve the Chair signing the MDAR grant application on…Motion: to approve the Chair signing the MDAR grant application on behalf…Passed 4–1 · see note
April 26, 2023: Approve the Chair signing the MDAR grant application on behalf of the Select board, as amended to reflect the Board status as the Jacobs Farm landlord
To approve the Chair signing the MDAR grant application on behalf of the Select board, as amended to reflect the Board status as the Jacobs Farm landlord
The minutes give only the count (4-1), not how each member voted.
From the minutes
“Motion; made by Jason Brown, seconded by Pete Smellie, to approve the Chair signing the MDAR grant application on behalf of the Select board, as amended to reflect the Board status as the Jacobs Farm landlord; 4 voting yes, 1 voting no. The motion carried.” (Motion: Brown, second: Smellie)
Mar 15Appoint Bruce Graham as an interim member of the…Motion: to appoint Bruce Graham as an interim member of the Community…Passed 3–0 · Abstained: Graham
March 15, 2023: Appoint Bruce Graham as an interim member of the Community Housing Trust until 6/30/23
To appoint Bruce Graham as an interim member of the Community Housing Trust until 6/30/23
Yes: Allen, Brown, ReardonAbstained: GrahamBruce W. Graham abstained.
From the minutes
“Motion; made by Jason Brown, seconded by Andy Reardon, to appoint Bruce Graham as an interim member of the Community Housing Trust until 6/30/23. Allen, Brown and Reardon voting yes, Graham abstained. Motion carried.” (Motion: Brown, second: Reardon)
Feb 15Appoint Sarah Martin to the Commission on Disabilities for…Motion: to appoint Sarah Martin to the Commission on Disabilities for a…Passed · see note
February 15, 2023: Appoint Sarah Martin to the Commission on Disabilities for a term expiring 6/30/26
To appoint Sarah Martin to the Commission on Disabilities for a term expiring 6/30/26
The minutes say the vote was unanimous but do not list who attended this meeting, so individual votes are not shown.
From the minutes
“Motion; made by Jason Brown, seconded by Pete Smellie, to appoint Sarah Martin to the Commission on Disabilities for a term expiring 6/30/26. Unanimously voted.” (Motion: Brown, second: Smellie)
Feb 15Appoint Donna Cunio to the Cemetery Committee for a…Motion: to appoint Donna Cunio to the Cemetery Committee for a term…Passed · see note
February 15, 2023: Appoint Donna Cunio to the Cemetery Committee for a term expiring 6/30/26
To appoint Donna Cunio to the Cemetery Committee for a term expiring 6/30/26
The minutes say the vote was unanimous but do not list who attended this meeting, so individual votes are not shown.
From the minutes
“Motion; made by Jason Brown, seconded by Pete Smellie, to appoint Donna Cunio to the Cemetery Committee for a term expiring 6/30/26. Unanimously voted.” (Motion: Brown, second: Smellie)
Feb 15Advertise this proposal at a public hearing, date to…Motion: to advertise this proposal at a public hearing, date to be…Passed 3–2 · No: Brown, Smellie
February 15, 2023: Advertise this proposal at a public hearing, date to be determined
To advertise this proposal at a public hearing, date to be determined
Yes: Allen, Graham, ReardonNo: Brown, Smellie
From the minutes
“Motion; made by Jason Brown, seconded by Pete Smellie, to advertise this proposal at a public hearing, date to be determined. Reardon, Graham, Allen voting yes, Brown and Smellie voting no. Motion carried.” (Motion: Brown, second: Smellie)
Feb 15Approve the letter from the Select Board to be…Motion: to approve the letter from the Select Board to be sent…Passed · see note
February 15, 2023: Approve the letter from the Select Board to be sent to MassHousing
To approve the letter from the Select Board to be sent to MassHousing
The minutes say the vote was unanimous but do not list who attended this meeting, so individual votes are not shown.
From the minutes
“Motion; made by Jason Brown, seconded by Pete Smellie, to approve the letter from the Select Board to be sent to MassHousing. Unanimously voted.” (Motion: Brown, second: Smellie)
Feb 15Refer each reviewed Article back to the Planning Board…Motion: to refer each reviewed Article back to the Planning Board for…Passed · see note
February 15, 2023: Refer each reviewed Article back to the Planning Board for public hearing
To refer each reviewed Article back to the Planning Board for public hearing
The minutes say the vote was unanimous but do not list who attended this meeting, so individual votes are not shown.
From the minutes
“Motion; made by Jason Brown, seconded by Pete Smellie, to refer each reviewed Article back to the Planning Board for public hearing. Unanimously voted.” (Motion: Brown, second: Smellie)
Feb 15Refer proposed Articles 1,2,3,5,6,7,8,9 back to the Planning Board…Motion: that the board refer proposed Articles 1,2,3,5,6,7,8,9 back to the Planning…Passed · see note
February 15, 2023: Refer proposed Articles 1,2,3,5,6,7,8,9 back to the Planning Board for public hearings, excluding the proposed Pathways Article
That the board refer proposed Articles 1,2,3,5,6,7,8,9 back to the Planning Board for public hearings, excluding the proposed Pathways Article
The minutes say the vote was unanimous but do not list who attended this meeting, so individual votes are not shown.
From the minutes
“Motion; made by Jason Brown, seconded by Pete Smellie, that the board refer proposed Articles 1,2,3,5,6,7,8,9 back to the Planning Board for public hearings, excluding the proposed Pathways Article. Unanimously voted.” (Motion: Brown, second: Smellie)
Feb 15Appoint Darleen Sullivan as a Records Access Officer for…Motion: to appoint Darleen Sullivan as a Records Access Officer for the…Passed · see note
February 15, 2023: Appoint Darleen Sullivan as a Records Access Officer for the Town of Norwell
To appoint Darleen Sullivan as a Records Access Officer for the Town of Norwell
The minutes say the vote was unanimous but do not list who attended this meeting, so individual votes are not shown.
From the minutes
“Motion; made by Jason Brown, seconded by Pete Smellie, to appoint Darleen Sullivan as a Records Access Officer for the Town of Norwell. Unanimously voted.” (Motion: Brown, second: Smellie)
Feb 15Close the 2023 Special and Annual Town Meeting WarrantMotion: to close the 2023 Special and Annual Town Meeting WarrantPassed · see note
February 15, 2023: Close the 2023 Special and Annual Town Meeting Warrant
To close the 2023 Special and Annual Town Meeting Warrant
The minutes say the vote was unanimous but do not list who attended this meeting, so individual votes are not shown.
From the minutes
“Motion; made by Jason Brown, seconded by Pete Smellie, to close the 2023 Special and Annual Town Meeting Warrant. Unanimously voted.” (Motion: Brown, second: Smellie)
From the Norwell 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: Lorenda Layne and John McGrath from the South Shore Times candidate profiles (April 2025). Members without a photo show initials. Peter Smellie from his campaign Facebook page (“Peter D. Smellie for Selectman of Norwell, MA”).
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