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Stoughton Select Board
How the Stoughton Select Board voted, from the Select Board’s official minutes. 5 Select Board members elected townwide for three-year terms. After the April 1, 2025 town election the board reorganized on April 15, 2025: Stephen Cavey was re-elected Chair (5-0 roll call) and Debra Roberts was chosen as Vice Chair (4-1 roll call, Louis Gitto voting no). Covers 39 meetings, April 15 to March 26, 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 budgetYour Stoughton ballot: 13 quizzes, about a minute each.
Start my ballot →Board years
Coming up
From the agendas Stoughton posts on its official site. Agendas can change; the posted agenda is the official one.
Members
ChairStephen CaveyChair · Elected townwide · at 38 of 39 meetings
Vice-ChairDebra RobertsVice Chair · Elected townwide · at 39 of 39 meetings
Scott CarraraMember · Elected townwide · at 31 of 39 meetingsLouis GittoMember · Elected townwide · at 35 of 39 meetings
Joseph MokriskyMember · Elected townwide · at 31 of 39 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: Stoughton Select Board (formerly the Board of Selectmen) minutes from January 2, 2018 through August 28, 2026, from the town’s Agenda Center. Big gap: the town’s website has minutes for only 2 of the board’s 2019 meetings and 13 of its 2020 meetings, plus more than 20 other meetings from 2018 to 2024 that have an agenda but no minutes; MassVoter is asking the town for them. A few files on the website are filed under the wrong date or hold a different meeting’s minutes; we load each file under the meeting it really records and list these for the town. Meetings after August 28, 2026 are not posted yet. Forums and information sessions listed with the board’s agendas have no minutes and are not shown. Nearly every minutes file is a scanned image, which MassVoter read with text recognition and checked by hand. Stoughton’s minutes name who made and seconded each motion and give a count (for example “the motion passed 5 - yes 0 - no”). When the count covers every member present with no one voting no or abstaining, or the minutes say the vote was unanimous, every member present is shown voting yes. When some members voted no or abstained and the minutes do not say who, we show the count only, with a note; we never guess who voted which way from the discussion. Older minutes (2018 to 2021) often list each member’s roll-call vote, and those are shown by name. Where the minutes give no count or names, we show the result only. Votes taken by other boards at joint meetings (for example the School Committee or the Board of Assessors) are left out, and members who recused themselves 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 26Approve the Settlement Agreement presented by counsel on March…Motion: Chair Cavey made a motion to approve the Settlement Agreement presented…Passed 4–0 · see note
March 26, 2026: Approve the Settlement Agreement presented by counsel on March 26, 2026 conditional on SMAC's approval and execution of the Settlement Agreement and Access Agreement by Tuesday March 31, 2026
Chair Cavey made a motion to approve the Settlement Agreement presented by counsel on March 26, 2026 conditional on SMAC's approval and execution of the Settlement Agreement and Access Agreement by Tuesday March 31, 2026, understanding that if SMAC does not approve and/or execute these Agreements, the Select Board will re-notice the Public Hearing, but that if they do approve and execute these Agreements, this Public Hearing will be forever closed. Mr. Carrara seconded the motion. On roll call vote, the motion passed 4 - yes 0 -no 1 - abstention.
The minutes give only the count (4-0-1), not who voted no or abstained.
From the minutes
“Chair Cavey made a motion to approve the Settlement Agreement presented by counsel on March 26, 2026 conditional on SMAC's approval and execution of the Settlement Agreement and Access Agreement by Tuesday March 31, 2026, understanding that if SMAC does not approve and/or execute these Agreements, the Select Board will re-notice the Public Hearing, but that if they do approve and execute these Agreements, this Public Hearing will be forever closed. Mr. Carrara seconded the motion. On roll call vote, the motion passed 4 - yes 0 -no 1 - abstention..” (Motion: Cavey, second: Carrara)
Mar 3Approve item cMotion: Chair Cavey made the motion to approve item c., seconded by…Passed 3–0 · see note
March 3, 2026: Approve item c
Chair Cavey made the motion to approve item c., seconded by Vice Chair Roberts. The motion passed 3 - yes 0 - no 2 - abstentions.
The minutes give only the count (3-0-2), not who voted no or abstained.
From the minutes
“Chair Cavey made the motion to approve item c., seconded by Vice Chair Roberts. The motion passed 3 - yes 0 - no 2 - abstentions..” (Motion: Cavey, second: Roberts)
Feb 3Approve item aMotion: Mr. Gitto made the motion to approve item a., seconded by…Passed 4–0 · see note
February 3, 2026: Approve item a
Mr. Gitto made the motion to approve item a., seconded by Vice Chair Roberts. The motion carried 4 - yes 0 - no 1 - abstention.
The minutes give only the count (4-0-1), not who voted no or abstained.
From the minutes
“Mr. Gitto made the motion to approve item a., seconded by Vice Chair Roberts. The motion carried 4 - yes 0 - no 1 - abstention..” (Motion: Gitto, second: Roberts)
Jan 20Open the FY27 Special Town MeetingMotion: Mr. Carrara made the motion to open the FY27 Special Town…Passed 4–1 · see note
January 20, 2026: Open the FY27 Special Town Meeting
Mr. Carrara made the motion to open the FY27 Special Town Meeting, seconded by Vice Chair Roberts. On the motion, the Board voted 4 - yes 1-no. > Mr. Tisdelle commented that to schedule the Special Town Meeting within the Annual Town Meeting was a good operating procedure.
The minutes give only the count (4-1), not who voted no or abstained.
From the minutes
“Mr. Carrara made the motion to open the FY27 Special Town Meeting, seconded by Vice Chair Roberts. On the motion, the Board voted 4 - yes 1-no. > Mr. Tisdelle commented that to schedule the Special Town Meeting within the Annual Town Meeting was a good operating procedure..” (Motion: Carrara, second: Roberts)
Jan 20Approve item dMotion: Mr. Mokrisky made the motion to approve item d., seconded by…Passed 3–0 · see note
January 20, 2026: Approve item d
Mr. Mokrisky made the motion to approve item d., seconded by Chair Cavey. The motion passed 3 - yes 0 - no 2 - abstentions.
The minutes give only the count (3-0-2), not who voted no or abstained.
From the minutes
“Mr. Mokrisky made the motion to approve item d., seconded by Chair Cavey. The motion passed 3 - yes 0 - no 2 - abstentions..” (Motion: Mokrisky, second: Cavey)
Jan 8No meetings are to be held on Thursdays before…Motion: Mr. Carrara made a motion that no meetings are to be…Passed 3–1 · see note
January 8, 2026: No meetings are to be held on Thursdays before 7:30 p.m
Mr. Carrara made a motion that no meetings are to be held on Thursdays before 7:30 p.m. Vice Chair Roberts seconded the motion. Chair Cavey suggested consultation with Town Counsel. Mr. Carrara pointed out that the Board can make this decision. Mr. Gitto suggested delaying the vote until the next meeting scheduled for January 13, 2026. On the motion, the Board voted 3 - yes 1 - no.
The minutes give only the count (3-1), not who voted no or abstained.
From the minutes
“Mr. Carrara made a motion that no meetings are to be held on Thursdays before 7:30 p.m. Vice Chair Roberts seconded the motion. Chair Cavey suggested consultation with Town Counsel. Mr. Carrara pointed out that the Board can make this decision. Mr. Gitto suggested delaying the vote until the next meeting scheduled for January 13, 2026. On the motion, the Board voted 3 - yes 1 - no..” (Motion: Carrara, second: Roberts)
Jan 6Approve the municipal budget and to submit said budget…Motion: Vice Chair Roberts made the motion to approve the municipal budget…Passed 4–1 · see note
January 6, 2026: Approve the municipal budget and to submit said budget to the Finance Committee without the inclusion of the School Department's budget
Vice Chair Roberts made the motion to approve the municipal budget and to submit said budget to the Finance Committee without the inclusion of the School Department's budget. Mr. Carrara seconded the motion. Ms. Zaleski clarified that submitting the budget without the inclusion of the school department reduces the budget by $69,612,304. The motion passed 4 - yes 1 - no.
The minutes give only the count (4-1), not who voted no or abstained.
From the minutes
“Vice Chair Roberts made the motion to approve the municipal budget and to submit said budget to the Finance Committee without the inclusion of the School Department's budget. Mr. Carrara seconded the motion. Ms. Zaleski clarified that submitting the budget without the inclusion of the school department reduces the budget by $69,612,304. The motion passed 4 - yes 1 - no..” (Motion: Roberts, second: Carrara)
Jan 6Open the warrantMotion: Mr. Carrara made the motion to open the warrant, seconded by…Passed 4–1 · see note
January 6, 2026: Open the warrant
Mr. Carrara made the motion to open the warrant, seconded by Vice Chair Roberts. The motion passed 4 - yes 1 - no.
The minutes give only the count (4-1), not who voted no or abstained.
From the minutes
“Mr. Carrara made the motion to open the warrant, seconded by Vice Chair Roberts. The motion passed 4 - yes 1 - no..” (Motion: Carrara, second: Roberts)
Dec 11Continue the SMAC public hearing to December 18, 2025Motion: Vice Chair Roberts requested a motion to continue the public hearing…Passed Unanimous, 4 present · see note
December 11, 2025: Continue the SMAC public hearing to December 18, 2025
Vice Chair Roberts requested a motion to continue the public hearing on Thursday, December 18, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. Mr. Gitto seconded the motion. On a roll call vote, the motion passed 4 - yes 0 - no.
Vice Chair Roberts asked for the motion; the minutes do not say who made it.
From the minutes
“Vice Chair Roberts requested a motion to continue the public hearing on Thursday, December 18, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. Mr. Gitto seconded the motion. On a roll call vote, the motion passed 4 - yes 0 - no..” (second: Gitto)
Nov 4As readMotion: Vice Chair Roberts made the motion as read by Chair Cavey,…Passed 4–0 · see note
November 4, 2025: As read
Vice Chair Roberts made the motion as read by Chair Cavey, seconded by Mr. Mokrisky. The motion passed with 4 - yes 0 -no 1 - abstention.
The minutes give only the count (4-0-1), not who voted no or abstained.
From the minutes
“Vice Chair Roberts made the motion as read by Chair Cavey, seconded by Mr. Mokrisky. The motion passed with 4 - yes 0 -no 1 - abstention..” (Motion: Roberts, second: Mokrisky)
From the Stoughton Select Board’s official minutes, posted in the town’s Agenda Center. We check every vote against the Select Board members present and quote the exact wording. MassVoter never grades or scores officials. Select Board member photos: video stills from Stoughton Media Access Corporation (SMAC, Stoughton’s local cable TV), each from a program that names the member on screen: Joseph Mokrisky from “Community Forum - Joe Mokrisky - Chairman of Select Board” (2021); Debra Roberts from “Stoughton Politics with...This Guy: Talking with Debra Roberts” (2025); Stephen Cavey from “Stoughton Politics with... This Guy: Interview with Select Board Chair Stephen Cavey” (2025); Scott Carrara from “Community Forum - Scott Carrara - Running for Stoughton Board of Selectmen” (2021); Lori Jacques from “A Lioness & You on the Watch: Interview with Select Board Candidate Lori Jacques” (2026). Former members show initials.
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