MassVoter.com← NorwellMunicipal votes · 2024–2025 Board
Norwell Select Board
How the Norwell Select Board voted, from the Select Board’s official minutes. 5 Select Board members elected townwide. Same five members. On June 12, 2024 the board chose Jason Brown as Chair, T. Andrew Reardon as Vice Chair and Brian M. Greenberg as Clerk. The minutes of the Dec. 18, 2024 meeting are not posted. Covers 23 meetings, June 12 to May 14, 2025.
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 18 of 23 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 2State the intent to layout Bay Path Lane as…Motion: to state the intent to layout Bay Path Lane as written…Passed Unanimous, 4 present · see note
April 2, 2025: State the intent to layout Bay Path Lane as written in the Layout of a Town Way notice , subject to the following: if signatures are not received for all…
To state the intent to layout Bay Path Lane as written in the Layout of a Town Way notice , subject to the following: if signatures are not received for all easements, the Town will ask for bonds
Jason Brown stepped aside (recused) from this item and is left out of this vote.
From the minutes
“Motion; made by Andy Reardon, seconded by Brian Greenberg, to state the intent to layout Bay Path Lane as written in the Layout of a Town Way notice , subject to the following: if signatures are not received for all easements, the Town will ask for bonds. Unanimously voted.” (Motion: Reardon, second: Greenberg)
Apr 2Close the Town Meeting WarrantMotion: To close the Town Meeting WarrantPassed Unanimous, 5 present · see note
April 2, 2025: Close the Town Meeting Warrant
To close the Town Meeting Warrant
The minutes read "seconded by Ellen McKenna If you read this far please let me know! To close the Town Meeting Warrant." Ellen McKenna is not a Select Board member, so no seconder is shown.
From the minutes
“Motion; made by Bruce Graham, seconded by Ellen McKenna If you read this far please let me know! To close the Town Meeting Warrant. Unanimously voted.” (Motion: Graham)
Mar 12Put an Article on the ATM Warrant for the…Motion: to put an Article on the ATM Warrant for the Intent…Passed 3–0 · Abstained: Graham
March 12, 2025: Put an Article on the ATM Warrant for the Intent to lay out Bay Path Lane and hold a public hearing
To put an Article on the ATM Warrant for the Intent to lay out Bay Path Lane and hold a public hearing
Yes: Greenberg, Reardon, SmellieAbstained: GrahamBruce W. Graham abstained. Jason Brown stepped aside (recused) from this item and is left out of this vote (the minutes list him as abstaining).
From the minutes
“Made by Brian Greenberg, seconded by Andy Reardon, to put an Article on the ATM Warrant for the Intent to lay out Bay Path Lane and hold a public hearing. Reardon, Greenberg, Smellie voting yes, Graham, Brown abstaining; Brown as he is a resident on Bay Path Lane, Graham until he has more information. Motion carried.” (Motion: Greenberg, second: Reardon)
Mar 12Add 2 Articles to the Warrant; one to eliminate…Motion: to add 2 Articles to the Warrant; one to eliminate the…Passed 4–1 · No: Graham
March 12, 2025: Add 2 Articles to the Warrant; one to eliminate the CPA surtax and one to lower the CPA surtax from 3% to 1.5.%
To add 2 Articles to the Warrant; one to eliminate the CPA surtax and one to lower the CPA surtax from 3% to 1.5.%
Yes: Brown, Greenberg, Reardon, SmellieNo: Graham
From the minutes
“Motion: made by Andy Reardon, seconded by Brian Greenberg, to add 2 Articles to the Warrant; one to eliminate the CPA surtax and one to lower the CPA surtax from 3% to 1.5.%. Brown, Reardon, Greenberg, Smellie voting yes, Graham voting no. Motion carried.” (Motion: Reardon, second: Greenberg)
Mar 5Appoint John M. Hurley as a Special Police Officer…Motion: to appoint John M. Hurley as a Special Police Officer for…Passed · see note
March 5, 2025: Appoint John M. Hurley as a Special Police Officer for a term expiring 6/30/26
To appoint John M. Hurley as a Special Police Officer for a term expiring 6/30/26
The minutes name Peter W. Smellie in this motion, but do not list Peter W. Smellie as attending. Individual votes are not shown; we will ask the town.
From the minutes
“Motion, made by Andy Reardon, seconded by Pete Smellie, to appoint John M. Hurley as a Special Police Officer for a term expiring 6/30/26. Unanimously voted by roll call vote.” (Motion: Reardon)
Mar 5Appoint Don Mauch to the Capital Budget Committee for…Motion: to appoint Don Mauch to the Capital Budget Committee for a…Passed · see note
March 5, 2025: Appoint Don Mauch to the Capital Budget Committee for a term expiring 6/30/28
To appoint Don Mauch to the Capital Budget Committee for a term expiring 6/30/28
The minutes name Peter W. Smellie in this motion, but do not list Peter W. Smellie as attending. Individual votes are not shown; we will ask the town.
From the minutes
“Motion: made by Andy Reardon, seconded by Pete Smellie, to appoint Don Mauch to the Capital Budget Committee for a term expiring 6/30/28. Unanimously voted by roll call vote.” (Motion: Reardon)
Mar 5Approve the changes as listed aboveMotion: to approve the changes as listed abovePassed · see note
March 5, 2025: Approve the changes as listed above
To approve the changes as listed above
The minutes name Peter W. Smellie in this motion, but do not list Peter W. Smellie as attending. Individual votes are not shown; we will ask the town.
From the minutes
“Motion: made by Brian Greenberg, seconded by Pete Smellie, to approve the changes as listed above. Unanimously voted by roll call vote.” (Motion: Greenberg)
Mar 5Approve 2025 Events CalendarMotion: to approve 2025 Events CalendarPassed · see note
March 5, 2025: Approve 2025 Events Calendar
To approve 2025 Events Calendar
The minutes name Peter W. Smellie in this motion, but do not list Peter W. Smellie as attending. Individual votes are not shown; we will ask the town.
From the minutes
“Motion; made by Brian Greenberg, seconded by Pete Smellie, to approve 2025 Events Calendar Unanimously voted by roil call vote.” (Motion: Greenberg)
Mar 5Adopt the areas of town names for rooms at…Motion: to adopt the areas of town names for rooms at the…Passed · see note
March 5, 2025: Adopt the areas of town names for rooms at the new town hall
To adopt the areas of town names for rooms at the new town hall
The minutes name Peter W. Smellie in this motion, but do not list Peter W. Smellie as attending. Individual votes are not shown; we will ask the town.
From the minutes
“Motion; made by Andy Reardon, seconded by Pete Smellie, to adopt the areas of town names for rooms at the new town hall. Unanimously voted by roll call vote.” (Motion: Reardon)
Mar 5Allow spending in excess of the FY 25 appropriation…Motion: to allow spending in excess of the FY 25 appropriation for…Passed · see note
March 5, 2025: Allow spending in excess of the FY 25 appropriation for snow and ice
To allow spending in excess of the FY 25 appropriation for snow and ice
The minutes name Peter W. Smellie in this motion, but do not list Peter W. Smellie as attending. Individual votes are not shown; we will ask the town.
From the minutes
“Motion; made by Brian Greenberg, seconded by Pete Smellie, to allow spending in excess of the FY 25 appropriation for snow and ice. Unanimously voted by roll call vote.” (Motion: Greenberg)
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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