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Norwell Select Board
How the Norwell Select Board voted, from the Select Board’s official minutes. 5 Select Board members elected townwide. Brian M. Greenberg joined the board after the May 2023 election; Ellen Allen left. On May 24, 2023 the board chose Peter W. Smellie as Chair (3-2 at first, then unanimously when the vote was retaken), T. Andrew Reardon as Vice Chair and Brian M. Greenberg as Clerk. The minutes of the Oct. 18, 2023 meeting are not posted. Covers 26 meetings, May 24 to May 15, 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.
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
ChairPeter W. SmellieChair · Elected townwide · at 24 of 26 meetingsVice-ChairT. Andrew ReardonVice Chair · Elected townwide · at 26 of 26 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 24Accept Cowings Cove as a public wayMotion: to accept Cowings Cove as a public wayPassed Unanimous, 3 present · see note
April 24, 2024: Accept Cowings Cove as a public way
To accept Cowings Cove as a public way
Brian M. Greenberg stepped aside (recused) from this item and is left out of this vote.
From the minutes
“Motion; made by Bruce Graham, seconded by Jason Brown, to accept Cowings Cove as a public way. Brown – yes, Graham – yes, Reardon – yes.” (Motion: Graham, second: Brown)
Apr 10Place this question, with amended language as noted, striking…Motion: that the board place this question, with amended language as noted,…Passed Unanimous, 4 present · see note
April 10, 2024: Place this question, with amended language as noted, striking the words "in between $600K and $1M", adding "3 one acre house lots" on the ballot for the upcoming local election
That the board place this question, with amended language as noted, striking the words "in between $600K and $1M", adding "3 one acre house lots" on the ballot for the upcoming local election
Wildcat property ballot question. After further discussion of the wording, the minutes say "Mr. Greenberg's amended motion was unanimously voted."
From the minutes
“Motion; made by Brian Greenberg, that the board place this question, with amended language as noted, striking the words "in between $600K and $1M", adding "3 one acre house lots" on the ballot for the upcoming local election. Seconded by Andy Reardon. … Mr. Greenberg's amended motion was unanimously voted..” (Motion: Greenberg, second: Reardon)
Mar 13Vote the intent to lay out as a public…Motion: to vote the intent to lay out as a public way…Passed Unanimous, 3 present · see note
March 13, 2024: Vote the intent to lay out as a public way Cowings Cove, pending the following actions: refer the layout petition to the Planning Board for a report, recognize that the…
To vote the intent to lay out as a public way Cowings Cove, pending the following actions: refer the layout petition to the Planning Board for a report, recognize that the Highway Director can act as the "drainage committee" as the Town does not have one, direct the HOA to obtain affidavits from the required departments that the road is satisfactory in width and acceptable construction, direct the Town Administrator to schedule and notice the layout hearing and direct the Town Administrator to refer the layout petition to Town Counsel for review
Brian M. Greenberg stepped aside (recused) from this item and is left out of this vote.
From the minutes
“Motion; made by Andy Reardon, seconded by Jason Brown, to vote the intent to lay out as a public way Cowings Cove, pending the following actions: refer the layout petition to the Planning Board for a report, recognize that the Highway Director can act as the "drainage committee" as the Town does not have one, direct the HOA to obtain affidavits from the required departments that the road is satisfactory in width and acceptable construction, direct the Town Administrator to schedule and notice the layout hearing and direct the Town Administrator to refer the layout petition to Town Counsel for review. Unanimously voted.” (Motion: Reardon, second: Brown)
Jan 10Pursuant to Chapter 40, section 15A, that the board…Motion: pursuant to Chapter 40, section 15A, that the board vote that…Passed 3–2 · No: Graham, Reardon
January 10, 2024: Pursuant to Chapter 40, section 15A, that the board vote that the two Wildcat parcels are no longer needed for Affordable Housing purposes
Pursuant to Chapter 40, section 15A, that the board vote that the two Wildcat parcels are no longer needed for Affordable Housing purposes
Yes: Brown, Greenberg, SmellieNo: Graham, Reardon
From the minutes
“Motion; made by Brian Greenberg, seconded by Jason Brown, pursuant to Chapter 40, section 15A, that the board vote that the two Wildcat parcels are no longer needed for Affordable Housing purposes. Brown, Greenberg, Smellie voting yes, Graham, Reardon voting no. The motion carried, 3-2.” (Motion: Greenberg, second: Brown)
Jan 10Authorize the board to put an Article on the…Motion: to authorize the board to put an Article on the Town…Passed 3–2 · No: Graham, Reardon
January 10, 2024: Authorize the board to put an Article on the Town Meeting Warrant to move this land into conservation
To authorize the board to put an Article on the Town Meeting Warrant to move this land into conservation
Yes: Brown, Greenberg, SmellieNo: Graham, Reardon
From the minutes
“Motion; made by Jason Brown, seconded by Brian Greenberg, to authorize the board to put an Article on the Town Meeting Warrant to move this land into conservation. Brown, Greenberg, Smellie voting yes, Graham, Reardon voting no. The motion carried, 3-2.” (Motion: Brown, second: Greenberg)
Jan 10Revise its application to the CPC for funding related…Motion: that the Select Board revise its application to the CPC for…Passed 4–1 · No: Reardon
January 10, 2024: Revise its application to the CPC for funding related to Carleton Property due diligence to reduce the requested amount to $50,000 and commit to working with the CHT on the…
That the Select Board revise its application to the CPC for funding related to Carleton Property due diligence to reduce the requested amount to $50,000 and commit to working with the CHT on the second phase of the project once due diligence is done
Yes: Brown, Graham, Greenberg, SmellieNo: Reardon
From the minutes
“Motion; made by Brian Greenberg, seconded by Pete Smellie, that the Select Board revise its application to the CPC for funding related to Carleton Property due diligence to reduce the requested amount to $50,000 and commit to working with the CHT on the second phase of the project once due diligence is done. Brown, Graham, Greenberg, Smellie voting yes, Reardon voting no. Motion carried 4-1.” (Motion: Greenberg, second: Smellie)
Nov 15Rescind his motion to appoint Mr. LunnMotion: to rescind his motion to appoint Mr. LunnPassed Unanimous, 3 present · see note
November 15, 2023: Rescind his motion to appoint Mr. Lunn
To rescind his motion to appoint Mr. Lunn
Jason Brown and T. Andrew Reardon stepped aside (recused) from this item and are left out of this vote.
From the minutes
“motion was made by Pete Smellie, seconded by Brian Greenberg, to rescind his motion to appoint Mr. Lunn. Unanimously voted.” (Motion: Smellie, second: Greenberg)
Nov 15Appoint Dustin Reardon as the South Shore Vo-Tech Representative…Motion: to appoint Dustin Reardon as the South Shore Vo-Tech Representative for…Passed Unanimous, 3 present · see note
November 15, 2023: Appoint Dustin Reardon as the South Shore Vo-Tech Representative for a term expiring 6/30/26
To appoint Dustin Reardon as the South Shore Vo-Tech Representative for a term expiring 6/30/26
Jason Brown and T. Andrew Reardon stepped aside (recused) from this item and are left out of this vote.
From the minutes
“Motion; made by Bruce Graham, seconded by Brian Greenberg, to appoint Dustin Reardon as the South Shore Vo-Tech Representative for a term expiring 6/30/26. Unanimously voted.” (Motion: Graham, second: Greenberg)
Aug 23Authorize the Clerk to sign the voteMotion: to authorize the Clerk to sign the votePassed Unanimous, 5 present · see note
August 23, 2023: Authorize the Clerk to sign the vote
To authorize the Clerk to sign the vote
The vote the Clerk was authorized to sign is the Select Board's $2,900,000 Massachusetts Clean Water Trust bond and loan vote, which the Clerk read into the minutes just before this motion.
From the minutes
“Motion; made by Brian Greenberg, seconded by Andy Reardon, to authorize the Clerk to sign the vote. Unanimously voted.” (Motion: Greenberg, second: Reardon)
Aug 9Appoint Marynel Wahl to the Community Preservation Committee as…Motion: to appoint Marynel Wahl to the Community Preservation Committee as an…Passed · see note
August 9, 2023: Appoint Marynel Wahl to the Community Preservation Committee as an At Large member for a term expiring 6/30/26
To appoint Marynel Wahl to the Community Preservation Committee as an At Large member 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 Bruce Graham, seconded by Andy Reardon , to appoint Marynel Wahl to the Community Preservation Committee as an At Large member for a term expiring 6/30/26. Unanimously voted.” (Motion: Graham, second: Reardon)
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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