MassVoter.com← SwanseaMunicipal votes · 2022–2023 Board
Swansea Board of Selectmen
How the Swansea Board of Selectmen voted, from the Board of Selectmen’s official minutes. 3 Selectmen elected townwide. Robert C. Medeiros joined the board in April 2022. Covers 24 meetings, April 12 to March 28, 2023.
A monthly email on what it voted on, starting in November.
What does the Board of Selectmen 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 Board of Selectmen, 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 Swansea’s meeting calendar automatically yet. See upcoming meetings on the official site →
What Town Meeting decided
In Swansea, Town Meeting — not the Board of Selectmen — votes the town budget, bylaws and zoning. Here is what it did with each article, in the Town Clerk’s own words. Any registered voter can take part, and most votes are by voice or show of hands, so there is no list of who voted which way.
Special Town Meeting · October 28, 2024 15 votes: 15 passed
- Art. 1 Appropriate $25,000 by taxation as grant match for Hailes Hill Road culvert upgrade design Passed “Motion carried by a Majority.”
- Art. 2 Appropriate $130,000 from free cash for a Highway Department skid steer and attachments Passed “Motion passes by a simple Majority. · 266-YES 238-No”
- Art. 3 Appropriate $20,000 by taxation for police speed control signage Passed “Motion carried by a Majority.”
- Art. 4 Appropriate $15.9 million for town offices construction: $1.8M Capital Stabilization, $10.6M free cash, borrow up to $3.5M Passed “Motion passes by a 2/3’s Majority. · 408-YES 141-NO”
- Art. 5 Appropriate $200,000 by taxation for school security assessments, training and studies Passed “Motion carried by a Majority.”
- Art. 6 Spend $30,000 of CPA reserves for Seekonk Land Conservation Trust monitoring of 1100 Bark Street restriction Passed “Motion carried by a Majority.”
- Art. 7 Grant underground utility easement at 81 Main Street to Massachusetts Electric for $1 or less Passed “Motion carried by a 2/3’s Majority (voice vote).”
- Art. 8 Zoning: replace accessory apartment rules with accessory dwelling unit (ADU) rules Passed “Motion is carried by a Majority.”
- Art. 9 General bylaw: revise dog licensing deadlines and fees; no fee for owners 70 and older Passed “Motion carried by a Majority.”
- Art. 10 General bylaw: replace Town Clerk fee schedule Passed “Motion carried by a Majority.”
- Art. 11 General bylaw: make Tree Warden an appointed position (Board of Selectmen) Passed “Motion carried by a Majority.”
- Art. 12 Accept Johemi Trail and Linda Way (Diamond Ledge) as public ways Passed “Motion carried by a Majority.”
- Art. 13 Accept Buckingham Drive (Buckingham Estates) as a public way Passed “Motion carried by a Majority.”
- Art. 14 Accept Kayleigh Court as a public way Passed “Motion carried Unanimously.”
- Art. 15 Accept Keith Circle and Kyle Court as public ways Passed “Motion carried by a Majority.”
Source: Town Clerk's certification of the October 28, 2024 Special Town Meeting.
Annual Town Meeting · May 20, 2024 39 votes: 33 passed, 6 failed
- Art. 1 Hear the report of the Advisory & Finance Committee Passed “Motion carried Unanimously.”
- Art. 2 Accept reports of Town Officers and Committees; waive reading Passed “Motion carried Unanimously.”
- Art. 3 Confirm Moderator appointments of five members to the Advisory and Finance Committee through 2027 Passed “Motion carried by a Majority.”
- Art. 4 Fix salaries of elected Town officers for FY2025 (e.g., Town Clerk $83,281; Treasurer $98,968) Passed “Motion carried by a Majority.”
- Art. 5 FY2025 operating budget, line items 1-109: $46,328,124 by taxation plus $25,786 from Beach Receipts Reserved Passed “Motion carried by a Majority.”
- Art. 6 Authorize Selectmen to accept and contract for state/county funds for roads, bikeways and waterways Passed “Motion carried Unanimously.”
- Art. 7 Appropriate $8,965,076 by taxation for Town and employee insurance Passed “Motion carried Unanimously.”
- Art. 8 Appropriate $60,500 by taxation for the annual audit Passed “Motion carried by a Majority.”
- Art. 9 Appropriate $70,000 by taxation for tax title expenses Passed “Motion carried Unanimously.”
- Art. 10 Set FY2025 spending limits for five revolving funds Passed “Motion carried Unanimously.”
- Art. 11 Appropriate $2,333,520.81 for the Solid Waste Enterprise Fund Passed “Motion carried Unanimously.”
- Art. 12 FY2025 Community Preservation budget: admin expenses, reserves and Medeiros Farm debt service Passed “Motion carried Unanimously.”
- Art. 13 Spend $45,000 of CPA reserves for Wildlands Trust monitoring of three conservation restrictions Passed “Motion carried Unanimously.”
- Art. 14 Appropriate $200,000 by taxation for three police cruisers with equipment Passed “Motion carried by a Majority.”
- Art. 15 Appropriate $42,000 by taxation for police bullet proof vests and related equipment Passed “Motion carried Unanimously.”
- Art. 16 Appropriate $125,000 by taxation for turnout gear for volunteer firefighters Passed “Motion carried Unanimously.”
- Art. 17 Appropriate $80,000 by taxation for a Fire Department Ford Expedition and equipment Passed “Motion carried by a Majority.”
- Art. 18 Transfer $30,000 from free cash for paving at Fire Stations 1 and 2 Passed “Motion carried Unanimously.”
- Art. 19 Transfer $110,000 from free cash for flood barriers at Old Providence Road Failed “Motion was defeated by a Majority.”
- Art. 20 Transfer $130,000 from free cash for a Highway Department skid steer Failed “Motion was defeated by a Majority.”
- Art. 21 Transfer $372,000 from free cash for a Highway Western Star truck with swap loader system Failed “Motion was defeated by a Majority.”
- Art. 22 Transfer $25,000 from free cash for e-Permitting software Passed “Motion was carried by a Majority.”
- Art. 23 Appropriate $250,000 by taxation for study and design of Gardner Neck Rd/Route 103 intersection improvements Failed “Motion was defeated. · YES – 170. NO – 175.”
- Art. 24 Transfer $52,500 from free cash to expand Vinnicum Cemetery Passed “Motion carried by a Majority.”
- Art. 25 Transfer $2 million from free cash to renovate and restore the Gardner House at Swansea Memorial Park Failed “Motion is defeated. · YES-111. NO-227.”
- Art. 26 Transfer $85,000 from free cash to demolish the Gardner House and regrade at Swansea Memorial Park Passed “Motion passes. · YES-204. NO-92.”
- Art. 27 Appropriate $500,000 by taxation: $250,000 each to Stabilization and Capital Stabilization Funds Passed “Motion carried by a Majority.”
- Art. 28 Appropriate $250,000 by taxation for the OPEB Liability Trust Fund Passed “Motion carried by a Majority.”
- Art. 29 Appropriate $86,000 by taxation for the firefighters Length of Service Awards Program Passed “Motion carried by a Majority.”
- Art. 30 Home rule petition to allow up to six more all-alcohol on-premises licenses in the Swansea Mall area Passed “Motion carried Unanimously.”
- Art. 31 General bylaw: remove appointed board members who miss three straight or 25% of meetings Passed “Motion carried Unanimously.”
- Art. 32 General bylaw: let Treasurer, with Selectmen approval, sell tax-title land without further Town Meeting vote Passed “Motion carried by a Majority.”
- Art. 33 General bylaw: rewrite dumping ban and add ban on discharging water onto public ways, with fines Passed “Motion carried by a Majority.”
- Art. 34 General bylaw: replace rules on construction in public ways (driveway and excavation permits, surety, fines) Passed “Motion passes. · YES-134. NO-95.”
- Art. 35 Accept emergency access easement over 57 Main Street for Town Hall/library land, as gift or for $1 Passed “Motion carried by a 2/3’s declared Majority.”
- Art. 36 Accept High Hill Road and White Rock Lane as public ways Passed “Motion carried by a Majority.”
- Art. 37 Accept Keith Circle and Kyle Court as public ways Failed “Motion is defeated by a Majority.”
- Art. 38 Appropriate and borrow $21,600,000 for Phase 1A Route 6/Route 118 wastewater collection system Passed “Motion passes. · YES-241. NO-26.”
- Art. 39 Accept MGL c.44 §53F½ to establish Sewer Services enterprise fund from FY2025 Passed “Motion is carried Unanimously.”
Source: Town Clerk's certification of the May 20, 2024 Annual Town Meeting.
Not here yet: the Special Town Meeting held May 20, 2024 alongside the Annual Town Meeting, the May 19, 2025 Annual and Special Town Meetings, and any 2026 Town Meetings; no results for these were posted online that we could reach.
Titles are short descriptions of each article from the official record; the quoted words are the Town Clerk’s. A vote at Town Meeting is not the final word on everything: some articles also need a ballot vote (such as a tax override) or the Attorney General’s approval (bylaws).
Members
Robert C. MedeirosClerk · Elected townwide · at 23 of 24 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
Not here yet: the town has posted Board of Selectmen minutes online only from January 2020, and some meetings have an agenda but no minutes online. Several minutes from 2020 to 2022 and 2026 are scanned documents, which we read with text recognition. Most votes are recorded as unanimous. When only two Selectmen are present, the minutes often say a motion “passed by a majority” without saying how each voted; those votes are noted and individual votes are not shown. Votes by other boards at joint meetings (such as the Sewer Commission, Planning Board or Water District) 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.
Jan 31Opt into in-person early voting for the 2023 Annual…Motion: to vote to opt into in-person early voting for the 2023…Passed · see note
January 31, 2023: Opt into in-person early voting for the 2023 Annual Town Election on April 3, 4, &5
To vote to opt into in-person early voting for the 2023 Annual Town Election on April 3, 4, &5
The minutes say the motion passed by a majority but do not say how each member voted.
From the minutes
“MOTION made by Mr. Medeiros, seconded by Mr. Carreiro to vote to opt into in-person early voting for the 2023 Annual Town Election on April 3, 4, &5. PASSES BY MAJORITY.” (Motion: Medeiros, second: Carreiro)
Jan 10Opt into in-person early voting for the 2023 Annual…Motion: to vote to opt into in-person early voting for the 2023…Passed · see note
January 10, 2023: Opt into in-person early voting for the 2023 Annual Town Election on April 3, 4, &5
To vote to opt into in-person early voting for the 2023 Annual Town Election on April 3, 4, &5
The minutes say the motion passed by a majority but do not say how each member voted.
From the minutes
“MOTION made by Mr. Medeiros, seconded by Mr. Carreiro to vote to opt into in-person early voting for the 2023 Annual Town Election on April 3, 4, &5. PASSES BY MAJORITY.” (Motion: Medeiros, second: Carreiro)
Dec 13Approve Class II License Renewals pending inspections for Bristol…Motion: to approve Class II License Renewals pending inspections for Bristol County…Passed · see note
December 13, 2022: Approve Class II License Renewals pending inspections for Bristol County Auto Exchange, 2388 G.A.R. Highway. TWO AYES
To approve Class II License Renewals pending inspections for Bristol County Auto Exchange, 2388 G.A.R. Highway. TWO AYES
The minutes say the motion passed by a majority but do not say how each member voted.
From the minutes
“MOTION made by Mr. Medeiros, seconded by Mr. Kitchin to approve Class II License Renewals pending inspections for Bristol County Auto Exchange, 2388 G.A.R. Highway. TWO AYES, Motion passed by a majority.” (Motion: Medeiros, second: Kitchin)
Dec 13Execute the sale of Kispert Court map 12 lot…Motion: to execute the sale of Kispert Court map 12 lot 29…Passed · see note
December 13, 2022: Execute the sale of Kispert Court map 12 lot 29 to Robert and Krista Sparrow in the amount of $10,000.00. TWO AYES
To execute the sale of Kispert Court map 12 lot 29 to Robert and Krista Sparrow in the amount of $10,000.00. TWO AYES
The minutes say the motion passed by a majority but do not say how each member voted.
From the minutes
“MOTION made by Mr. Medeiros, seconded by Mr. Carreiro to execute the sale of Kispert Court map 12 lot 29 to Robert and Krista Sparrow in the amount of $10,000.00. TWO AYES, Motion passed by a majority.” (Motion: Medeiros, second: Carreiro)
Oct 18Establish a Fire Feasibility Study Committee consisting of seven…Motion: to vote to establish a Fire Feasibility Study Committee consisting of…Passed · see note
October 18, 2022: Establish a Fire Feasibility Study Committee consisting of seven voting members: a representative from each Fire Station, the Fire Chief, the 5 Assistant Superintendent/Facilities Manager, a member of
To vote to establish a Fire Feasibility Study Committee consisting of seven voting members: a representative from each Fire Station, the Fire Chief, the 5 Assistant Superintendent/Facilities Manager, a member of the Advisory & Finance Committee and the Town Administrator as the non-voting member, term to expire June 30, 2023
The minutes say the motion passed by a majority but do not say how each member voted.
From the minutes
“MOTION made by Mr. Medeiros, seconded by Mr. Kitchin, to vote to establish a Fire Feasibility Study Committee consisting of seven voting members: a representative from each Fire Station, the Fire Chief, the 5 Assistant Superintendent/Facilities Manager, a member of the Advisory & Finance Committee and the Town Administrator as the non-voting member, term to expire June 30, 2023. ALL IN FAVOR - TWO AYES, Motion passed by a majority.” (Motion: Medeiros, second: Kitchin)
Oct 18Appoint as voting members: Jordan Amorin, Chris Furtado, Eric…Motion: to appoint as voting members: Jordan Amorin, Chris Furtado, Eric Hajder,…Passed · see note
October 18, 2022: Appoint as voting members: Jordan Amorin, Chris Furtado, Eric Hajder, Richard Mello, Andrew Moniz, and as Advisor and non-voting Mallory Aronstein to the Fire Feasibility Study Committee with terms to
To appoint as voting members: Jordan Amorin, Chris Furtado, Eric Hajder, Richard Mello, Andrew Moniz, and as Advisor and non-voting Mallory Aronstein to the Fire Feasibility Study Committee with terms to expire June 30, 2023
The minutes say the motion passed by a majority but do not say how each member voted.
From the minutes
“MOTION made by Mr. Medeiros, seconded by Mr. Kitchin to appoint as voting members: Jordan Amorin, Chris Furtado, Eric Hajder, Richard Mello, Andrew Moniz, and as Advisor and non-voting Mallory Aronstein to the Fire Feasibility Study Committee with terms to expire June 30, 2023. ALL IN FAVOR - TWO AYES, Motion passed by a majority.” (Motion: Medeiros, second: Kitchin)
Oct 18Appoint Mrs. Aronstein to the Solid Waste/Hazardous Waste Committee…Motion: to appoint Mrs. Aronstein to the Solid Waste/Hazardous Waste Committee -…Passed · see note
October 18, 2022: Appoint Mrs. Aronstein to the Solid Waste/Hazardous Waste Committee - Terms to Expire: June 30, 2023
To appoint Mrs. Aronstein to the Solid Waste/Hazardous Waste Committee - Terms to Expire: June 30, 2023
The minutes say the motion passed by a majority but do not say how each member voted.
From the minutes
“MOTION made by Mr. Medeiros, seconded by Mr. Kitchin, to appoint Mrs. Aronstein to the Solid Waste/Hazardous Waste Committee - Terms to Expire: June 30, 2023. ALL IN FAVOR - TWO AYES, Motion passed by a majority.” (Motion: Medeiros, second: Kitchin)
Oct 18Award the bid for the Medeiros Farm Site Plan…Motion: to award the bid for the Medeiros Farm Site Plan to…Passed · see note
October 18, 2022: Award the bid for the Medeiros Farm Site Plan to Beta Group, Inc of Lincoln, RI. in the amount of $35,650.00
To award the bid for the Medeiros Farm Site Plan to Beta Group, Inc of Lincoln, RI. in the amount of $35,650.00
The minutes say the motion passed by a majority but do not say how each member voted.
From the minutes
“MOTION made by Mr. Medeiros, seconded by Mr. Kitchin, to award the bid for the Medeiros Farm Site Plan to Beta Group, Inc of Lincoln, RI. in the amount of $35,650.00 ALL IN FAVOR - TWO AYES, Motion passed by a majority Mrs.” (Motion: Medeiros, second: Kitchin)
Jul 12Appoint the Mr. Carreiro to the Fire Feasibility Study…Motion: to appoint the Mr. Carreiro to the Fire Feasibility Study Review…Passed · see note
July 12, 2022: Appoint the Mr. Carreiro to the Fire Feasibility Study Review Committee. TWO AYES, ONE ABSTENTION
To appoint the Mr. Carreiro to the Fire Feasibility Study Review Committee. TWO AYES, ONE ABSTENTION
The minutes say the motion passed by a majority but do not say how each member voted.
From the minutes
“MOTION made by Mr. Medeiros, seconded by Mr. Kitchin to appoint the Mr. Carreiro to the Fire Feasibility Study Review Committee. TWO AYES, ONE ABSTENTION, Motion passed by a majority Mrs.” (Motion: Medeiros, second: Kitchin)
Jun 14Appoint the following Americans with Disabilities Act with a…Motion: to appoint the following Americans with Disabilities Act with a term…Passed · see note
June 14, 2022: Appoint the following Americans with Disabilities Act with a term to expire 06-30-2023 Bruce Sutherland, Jr. 06-30-2023 Christopher Carreiro 06-30-2023 Eric Hajder 06-30-2023 TWO AYES, ONE ABSTENTION
To appoint the following Americans with Disabilities Act with a term to expire 06-30-2023 Bruce Sutherland, Jr. 06-30-2023 Christopher Carreiro 06-30-2023 Eric Hajder 06-30-2023 TWO AYES, ONE ABSTENTION
The minutes say the motion passed by a majority but do not say how each member voted.
From the minutes
“MOTION made by Mr. Medeiros, seconded by Mr. Kitchin to appoint the following Americans with Disabilities Act with a term to expire 06-30-2023 Bruce Sutherland, Jr. 06-30-2023 Christopher Carreiro 06-30-2023 Eric Hajder 06-30-2023 TWO AYES, ONE ABSTENTION, Motion passed by a majority.” (Motion: Medeiros, second: Kitchin)
From the Swansea Board of Selectmen’s official minutes, posted on the town’s website. We check every vote against the Selectmen present and quote the exact wording. MassVoter never grades officials; votes and attendance are shown exactly as the minutes record them. Photos: Alanna Solitro, a still from her Swansea Cable Access Television candidate video (2026); Robert Medeiros, from his campaign Facebook page (Robert Medeiros Swansea Selectman).
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