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Municipal votes · 2020–2021 Board

Wellesley Select Board

How the Wellesley Select Board voted, from the Select Board’s official minutes. 5 Select Board members elected townwide. Four members after the June 13, 2020 town election, with Jack Morgan’s seat open. On June 30, 2020 the board chose Marjorie Freiman as Chair, Thomas Ulfelder as Vice Chair and Beth Sullivan Woods as Secretary, effective July 1, 2020 (4-0). Colette Aufranc won the September 1, 2020 special town election for the open seat and joined the board on September 8, 2020. The minutes use the name “Select Board” from November 2020. Covers 44 meetings, June 15 to March 1, 2021.

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 budget
Election Day · Tuesday, Nov 3

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Board years

Coming up

From the agendas Wellesley posts on its official site. Agendas can change; the posted agenda is the official one.

What Town Meeting decided

In Wellesley, 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. Town Meeting members are elected by precinct; counts are from the town’s electronic voting.

Special Town Meeting · May 11, 2026 3 votes: 1 passed, 1 no action, 1 advisory

Source: May 2026 Special Town Meeting motions as voted, with totals from the town’s Electronic Voting Report.

Annual Town Meeting · March 30, 2026 48 votes: 37 passed, 1 passed as amended, 1 failed, 9 no action

Sessions: March 30, 31 and April 6, 7, 2026

Source: Town Clerk's record (minutes) of the 2026 Annual Town Meeting.

Annual Town Meeting · March 25, 2024 66 votes: 50 passed, 2 failed, 14 no action

Sessions: March 25, 26, 27 and April 1, 2, 3, 2024

Source: Town Clerk's record in the 2024 Annual Town Report (July 2023-June 2024).

Not here yet: the October 2024 Special Town Meeting and the 2025 Annual Town Meeting (the Town Clerk's records for these are scanned pages in the 2024–2025 Annual Town Report), and the November 2025 Special Town Meeting. The May 2026 Special Town Meeting results come from the motions as voted and the electronic voting report, not the Town Clerk's minutes.

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

Colette AufrancMember · Elected townwide · at 31 of 31 meetings · from Sep 2020Lise OlneyMember · Elected townwide · at 44 of 44 meetingsBeth Sullivan WoodsSecretary · Elected townwide · at 44 of 44 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 minutes (called the Board of Selectmen until November 2020) from January 8, 2018 through August 17, 2026, from the town’s online Agenda Center, which holds minutes back to 2014 (MassVoter has loaded 2018 on). Retreats, budget summits, short meetings held to go into executive session, and joint meetings with other boards are included; at joint meetings only the Select Board’s own votes are shown. Not here: the minutes of the board’s Policy Subcommittee and of the Bylaw Review Committee; the closed executive-session minutes themselves; 25 other meeting dates listed in the Agenda Center with an agenda but no minutes (mostly executive-session-only meetings, retreats, budget summits and workshops, sessions the board attended at another board’s meeting, and a few meetings in 2018, 2019 and 2021); and every meeting after August 17, 2026. The minutes are typed PDFs. Wellesley’s minutes give the mover and seconder and a count for almost every vote, such as “the Board voted (5-0)”. Split votes usually name the members who voted no or abstained (“(4-1; Sullivan Woods opposed)”), and from 2020 on polled votes, and since 2025 most votes, list each member’s vote by name (“Aufranc - Aye Freiman - Aye Largess - No”). When the count matches the members present, or the minutes say the vote was unanimous, we show every member present as voting yes; when the minutes name the members who voted no or abstained and the count adds up, everyone else present as voting yes. Where the minutes give only a split count without names, a roll call leaves out a member who was there or names one the attendance list does not show, or the count does not match the members present, we show the count only and add a note. At joint meetings the minutes often give one count for both boards (“the Boards voted (10-0)”); unless the Select Board members are listed by name, those votes show the result only. Votes with no count written down are shown with the result only. Members who stepped aside (recused), had not yet arrived or had left are left out of that vote. We will ask the town to confirm any noted vote.

Monday, March 1, 2021 · Regular meeting12 recorded votes, 1 with disagreementAll 5 members presentMonday, February 22, 2021 · Regular meeting9 recorded votes, 0 with disagreementAll 5 members presentFriday, February 19, 2021 · Regular meeting0 recorded votes, 0 with disagreementAll 5 members presentMonday, February 8, 2021 · Regular meeting7 recorded votes, 0 with disagreementAll 5 members presentMonday, February 1, 2021 · Regular meeting2 recorded votes, 0 with disagreementAll 5 members present

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 1For with the Wellesley Police Dispatch Association and to…Motion: for with the Wellesley Police Dispatch Association and to authorize the…Passed Unanimous, 4 present · see note

March 1, 2021: For with the Wellesley Police Dispatch Association and to authorize the use of digital signatures

ApprovePassed · Unanimous, 4 present

For with the Wellesley Police Dispatch Association and to authorize the use of digital signatures

Thomas Ulfelder stepped aside (recused) and did not take part in this vote.

From the minutes

“Upon a motion by Ms. Sullivan Woods and seconded by Ms. Olney the Board was polled and voted (4-0) approve the contract for with the Wellesley Police Dispatch Association and to authorize the use of digital signatures. Sullivan Woods - Aye Olney -Aye Freiman - Aye Aufranc - Aye.” (Motion: Woods, second: Olney)

Read it in the official minutes, page 4 (PDF)

Dec 7Approve the 40R Affordable Housing Restriction Agreement and the…Motion: To approve the 40R Affordable Housing Restriction Agreement and the 40R…Passed Unanimous, 4 present · see note

December 7, 2020: Approve the 40R Affordable Housing Restriction Agreement and the 40R Rental Monitoring Services Agreement for Hanover Wellesley

ApprovePassed · Unanimous, 4 present

To approve the 40R Affordable Housing Restriction Agreement and the 40R Rental Monitoring Services Agreement for Hanover Wellesley

Marjorie Freiman stepped aside (recused) and did not take part in this vote.

From the minutes

“Upon a motion by Ms. Sullivan Woods and seconded by Mr. Ulfelder the Board was polled and voted (4-0) to approve the 40R Affordable Housing Restriction Agreement and the 40R Rental Monitoring Services Agreement for Hanover Wellesley. Sullivan Woods - Aye Olney -Aye Ulfelder - Aye Aufranc - Aye.” (Motion: Woods, second: Ulfelder)

Read it in the official minutes, page 5 (PDF)

Nov 9Approve the Waterstone at Wellesley 2020-2021 rental rates as…Motion: To approve the Waterstone at Wellesley 2020-2021 rental rates as proposedPassed 4–0 · Abstained: Ulfelder

November 9, 2020: Approve the Waterstone at Wellesley 2020-2021 rental rates as proposed

ApprovePassed · 4–0

To approve the Waterstone at Wellesley 2020-2021 rental rates as proposed

Yes: Aufranc, Freiman, Olney, WoodsAbstained: Ulfelder

From the minutes

“Upon a motion by Ms. Sullivan Woods and seconded by Ms. Olney the Board was polled and voted (4-0-1 Mr. Ulfelder abstained) to approve the Waterstone at Wellesley 2020-2021 rental rates as proposed. Sullivan Woods - Aye Olney -Aye Ulfelder - Abstained Freiman - Aye Aufranc - Aye.” (Motion: Woods, second: Olney)

Read it in the official minutes, page 2 (PDF)

Oct 19Endorse the recommendation of the School Building Committee to…Motion: To endorse the recommendation of the School Building Committee to construct…Passed Unanimous, 4 present · see note

October 19, 2020: Endorse the recommendation of the School Building Committee to construct a new elementary school at the Hardy Elementary School site with the preferred design option 7B

ApprovePassed · Unanimous, 4 present

To endorse the recommendation of the School Building Committee to construct a new elementary school at the Hardy Elementary School site with the preferred design option 7B

Beth Sullivan Woods stepped aside (recused) and did not take part in this vote.

From the minutes

“Upon a motion by Ms. Olney and seconded by Mr. Ulfelder the Board was polled and voted (4-0) to endorse the recommendation of the School Building Committee to construct a new elementary school at the Hardy Elementary School site with the preferred design option 7B Olney -Aye Ulfelder - Aye Freiman - Aye Aufranc - Aye 6..” (Motion: Olney, second: Ulfelder)

Read it in the official minutes, page 4 (PDF)

Sep 29Approve the tentative agreement with the Wellesley Police Dispatchers…Motion: To approve the tentative agreement with the Wellesley Police Dispatchers AssociationPassed Unanimous, 4 present · see note

September 29, 2020: Approve the tentative agreement with the Wellesley Police Dispatchers Association

ApprovePassed · Unanimous, 4 present

To approve the tentative agreement with the Wellesley Police Dispatchers Association

Thomas Ulfelder stepped aside (recused) and did not take part in this vote.

From the minutes

“Upon a motion by Ms. Sullivan Woods and seconded by Ms. Olney the Board was polled and voted (4-0) to approve the tentative agreement with the Wellesley Police Dispatchers Association. Mr. Ulfelder recused himself from the vote. Sullivan Woods - Aye Olney -Aye Freiman - Aye Aufranc - Aye.” (Motion: Woods, second: Olney)

Read it in the official minutes, page 3 (PDF)

From the Wellesley 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. Photos: Town of Wellesley (the Select Board page on wellesleyma.gov).

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