How the Townsend Select Board voted, from the Select Board’s official minutes. 5 Select Board members elected townwide for three-year terms. Don Klein joined the board after the April 22, 2019 town election, succeeding Cindy King. On April 23, 2019 the board unanimously kept Sue Lisio as Chairman and chose Wayne Miller as Vice-Chairman and Don Klein as Clerk. Sue Lisio resigned in November 2019; on November 25, 2019 the board chose Wayne Miller as Chairman and Don Klein as Vice-Chairman and left her seat empty until the next election, so two members served until July 2020. The 2020 town election was moved to June 29, 2020 (COVID-19), and from April 2020 the board met remotely and voted by roll call. Covers 30 meetings, April 23 to June 30, 2020.
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.
In Townsend, Town Meeting — not the Select Board — 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 · May 5, 2026 1 votes: 1 passed
Sessions: May 5, 2026 (held during the Annual Town Meeting)
Art. 1Transfer $312,817 from free cash to cover the FY2026 snow and ice deficitPassed“VOTED: Passed unanimously.”
Art. 10Raise money outside Proposition 2 1/2 to balance the FY2026 budgetNo action“VOTE: Passed unanimously.”
Art. 13Appropriate $2,169,359.62 from Water Enterprise revenues for the FY2026 Water Department budgetPassed“VOTE: Passed by majority.”
Art. 14Fund $245,620 of the FY2026 capital plan (loader lease, Memorial Hall fire suppression, cruisers, water studies)Passed“VOTE: Passed unanimously.”
Art. 10Transfer $100,000 from ambulance receipts for Fire Department emergency vehicle equipment (amended from $35,000)Passed as amended“VOTE: Passed by majority”
Art. 11Transfer $181,010 from free cash to cover the FY2024 snow and ice deficitPassed“VOTED: Passed by majority”
Art. 2Appropriate $287,138 for FY2025 Nashoba Valley Tech assessments, contingent on a Proposition 2 1/2 overridePassed“VOTED: Article 2 passed by majority.”
Art. 4Appropriate $1,461,294 for FY2025 North Middlesex Regional School District assessments, contingent on an overridePassed“VOTED: Article 4 passed by majority.”
Not here yet: A Special Town Meeting held January 28, 2025 is not here because its minutes are not posted; no Town Meeting after May 5, 2026 is posted yet.
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).
"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: Townsend Select Board minutes from January 16, 2018 through July 22, 2026: 305 meetings and 3,183 votes. The board had three members until 2026. Article 7 of the May 6, 2025 Annual Town Meeting (a citizens’ petition) enlarged it to five members, and voters ratified the change as Question 1 at the April 27, 2026 town election (884 to 380). The special election for the two new seats (terms to April 2028 and April 2029) was set for October 6, 2026 and then postponed by court order to December 8, 2026, so as of October 12, 2026 three members serve and two seats are vacant. The town’s Agendas and Minutes page holds the board’s minutes back to 2010 (2017 has few files); MassVoter has loaded 2018 on. The minutes call the board the Board of Selectmen until spring 2023; from May 2023 they use “Selectboard” or “Select Board,” mixed with the old name until late 2024. Nearly all minutes files are scanned images (signed, Town Clerk-stamped copies), which MassVoter read with text recognition and checked where names or counts were unclear; the March 20, 2018 and March 5, 2019 minutes are Word files, and a few files (among them April 7 to May 7, 2026) have searchable text. Not here: executive-session minutes (the June 9 and June 23, 2020 meetings, which have only executive-session minutes, are loaded from those released minutes); cancelled meetings; votes of the Housing Authority, Water Commissioners, Planning Board, Finance Committee and other boards at joint meetings; meetings with an agenda but no posted minutes, among them February 1 and 2, 2021, April 27 to June 15, 2021 (including the 2021 reorganization), and several dates in 2018, 2020, late 2021 and February 2022; dates where the file posted is the wrong one or incomplete (the March 10, 2020 file repeats the August 4, 2020 minutes and is loaded once; the July 30, 2020 file is the June 30, 2020 minutes, with page 2 missing; the March 6, 2020 agenda is a March 6, 2021 budget work session); and meetings after July 22, 2026 (the August 5 to October 6, 2026 minutes are not posted yet). Townsend’s minutes have used several forms: in 2018 and 2019 “Unanimous vote” or a count after the mover and seconder’s initials; from 2020 to 2022 roll calls by initials or name (“CSD (NO) VK (YES)”) or “Motion was passed with all in favor”; and since 2023 a roll call by name on nearly every vote (“Roll call vote: Veronica Kell - aye, Valerie Goodrich - aye, Laura Shifrin - aye”). A count equal to the members present, or unanimous wording, is shown as every member present voting yes. On a three-member board, when the minutes name one member voting no, the other two are shown voting yes. Where the count and the names in the minutes disagree we show the count only (1 vote), and where the minutes give no count or names we show the result only (55 votes, most of them the board’s positions on 2018 and 2019 Town Meeting articles). Members who recused themselves, abstained or were out of the room are shown that way or left out of that vote, with a note; members who arrived late or left early are shown only in the votes they were there for. A motion with no recorded outcome is not counted as a vote. We will ask the town to confirm any noted vote.
Most board votes are unanimous. These are the ones where at least one member voted no or abstained, newest first.
Nov 25Not fill the position until April and to nominate…Motion: Board DL moved to not fill the position until April and…Passed Unanimous, 2 present · see note
November 25, 2019: Not fill the position until April and to nominate Wayne Miller as the Chairman
AppointPassed · Unanimous, 2 present
Board DL moved to not fill the position until April and to nominate Wayne Miller as the Chairman. WM < seconded and accepted the nomination. Unanimous vote.
The minutes write the mover as “DL”; only Wayne Miller (who seconded) and Don Klein were at the meeting, so the mover is shown as Don Klein.
From the minutes
“Board DL moved to not fill the position until April and to nominate Wayne Miller as the Chairman. WM < seconded and accepted the nomination. Unanimous vote..” (Motion: Klein)
Nov 5(the minutes do not state the motion)Motion: Letter of Appreciation from Board DK authorized the Town Administrator to…Passed Unanimous, 3 present · see note
Letter of Appreciation from Board DK authorized the Town Administrator to write a letter of appreciation from the Board to the departing Building Commissioner with many thanks. WM seconded. Unanimous vote.
The minutes do not say who made this motion.
From the minutes
“Letter of Appreciation from Board DK authorized the Town Administrator to write a letter of appreciation from the Board to the departing Building Commissioner with many thanks. WM seconded. Unanimous vote..” (second: Miller)
Oct 1Appoint Ronald James Petrucci as a fulltime Firefighter/Paramedic for…Motion: DL moved to appoint Ronald James Petrucci as a fulltime Firefighter/Paramedic…Passed Unanimous, 3 present · see note
October 1, 2019: Appoint Ronald James Petrucci as a fulltime Firefighter/Paramedic for the Townsend Fire-EMS Department contingent upon the passing of a preemployment medical exam, CORI check with a one-year...
AppointPassed · Unanimous, 3 present
DL moved to appoint Ronald James Petrucci as a fulltime Firefighter/Paramedic for the Townsend Fire-EMS Department contingent upon the passing of a preemployment medical exam, CORI check with a one-year probationary period. WM seconded. Unanimous vote.
The minutes give the mover as “DL,” which is not the initials of any member (Sue Lisio, SL; Don Klein, DK), so no mover is shown.
From the minutes
“DL moved to appoint Ronald James Petrucci as a fulltime Firefighter/Paramedic for the Townsend Fire-EMS Department contingent upon the passing of a preemployment medical exam, CORI check with a one-year probationary period. WM seconded. Unanimous vote..” (second: Miller)
Sep 17Approve the "Ride along Agreement" as requested by the…Motion: DK Selectmen's Meeting Minutes for 09/17/19 2 moved to approve the…Passed Unanimous, 3 present · see note
September 17, 2019: Approve the "Ride along Agreement" as requested by the Fire-EMS Chief, Mark Boynton
Approve minutesPassed · Unanimous, 3 present
DK Selectmen's Meeting Minutes for 09/17/19 2 moved to approve the "Ride along Agreement" as requested by the Fire-EMS Chief, Mark Boynton. WM seconded. Unanimous vote.
The minutes do not say who made this motion.
From the minutes
“DK Selectmen's Meeting Minutes for 09/17/19 2 moved to approve the "Ride along Agreement" as requested by the Fire-EMS Chief, Mark Boynton. WM seconded. Unanimous vote..” (second: Miller)
Aug 20Appoint Rob Templeton to the North Middlesex Regional School…Motion: Sue Robbins moved to appoint Rob Templeton to the North Middlesex…Passed Unanimous, 2 present · see note
Sue Robbins moved to appoint Rob Templeton to the North Middlesex Regional School Committee. WM seconded. Sue Robbins stated the term is until 2021. SL thanked both Rob Templeton and Lyn Giancotti for submitting applications. Unanimous vote.
Joint vote: the motion was made by a member of the other board (Sue Robbins); the Select Board members present are shown as the minutes record the vote.
From the minutes
“Sue Robbins moved to appoint Rob Templeton to the North Middlesex Regional School Committee. WM seconded. Sue Robbins stated the term is until 2021. SL thanked both Rob Templeton and Lyn Giancotti for submitting applications. Unanimous vote..”
Aug 6Appoint Kaila Temple as a fulltime firefighter/paramedic effective August…Motion: DK Moved to appoint Kaila Temple as a fulltime firefighter/paramedic effective…Passed Unanimous, 3 present · see note
August 6, 2019: Appoint Kaila Temple as a fulltime firefighter/paramedic effective August 6, 2019 to June 30, 2020 contingent upon a background check and medical exam with a one-year probationary period
AppointPassed · Unanimous, 3 present
DK Moved to appoint Kaila Temple as a fulltime firefighter/paramedic effective August 6, 2019 to June 30, 2020 contingent upon a background check and medical exam with a one-year probationary period. WM seconded. Unanimous vote.
The minutes do not say who made this motion.
From the minutes
“DK Moved to appoint Kaila Temple as a fulltime firefighter/paramedic effective August 6, 2019 to June 30, 2020 contingent upon a background check and medical exam with a one-year probationary period. WM seconded. Unanimous vote..” (second: Miller)
Aug 6Review the reimbursement request from an employee who lost…Motion: DK moved to review the reimbursement request from an employee who…Failed 0–2 · No: Klein, Lisio · Abstained: Miller
August 6, 2019: Review the reimbursement request from an employee who lost his hearing aid
ApproveFailed · 0–2
DK moved to review the reimbursement request from an employee who lost his hearing aid. WM seconded. SL confirmed the Town's insurer does not cover this type of loss. Additional discussion included: what types of personal property could be covered, examples included phones and eye glasses, etc., what the town's responsibility is in regards to the losses. SL asked for a vote to approve. SL (No) DK (No) and WM abstained from the vote.
No: Klein, LisioAbstained: MillerThe roll call records more no votes than yes votes, so the motion is shown as failed.
From the minutes
“DK moved to review the reimbursement request from an employee who lost his hearing aid. WM seconded. SL confirmed the Town's insurer does not cover this type of loss. Additional discussion included: what types of personal property could be covered, examples included phones and eye glasses, etc., what the town's responsibility is in regards to the losses. SL asked for a vote to approve. SL (No) DK (No) and WM abstained from the vote..” (Motion: Klein, second: Miller)
From the Townsend Select Board’s official minutes, posted on the town’s Agendas and Minutes page (Select Board). We check every vote against the Select Board members present and quote the exact wording. MassVoter never grades or scores officials. Photos (the town’s website has no Select Board photos): Town of Townsend Candidates Night video — Valerie Goodrich and Sarah Logan (April 2025); Just Townies — Laura Shifrin (October 2023). Cropped by MassVoter. Former members show initials.