How the Wellesley Select Board voted, from the Select Board’s official minutes. 5 Select Board members elected townwide. Ann-Mara Lanza joined the board after the March 2, 2021 town election; Marjorie Freiman left and Colette Aufranc was reelected. Thomas Ulfelder chaired the board from March 2021, with Lise Olney as Vice Chair and Beth Sullivan Woods as Secretary. The minutes posted online do not include a vote choosing these officers. Covers 50 meetings, March 15 to February 28, 2022.
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.
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
Art. 1No motion was made under this article.No action“NO MOTION”
Art. 15 · motion 2Community Preservation: up to $750,000 (or 50% of cost) to dredge the Duck Pond and Reeds PondPassed“Passed unanimously by voice vote”
Art. 15 · motion 3Community Preservation: $450,000 for playgrounds at Sprague School, Hunnewell Field Tot Lot and Perrin ParkPassed“Passed unanimously by voice vote”
Art. 16Transfer $500,000 from Free Cash for Wellesley High School and Hunnewell Fields irrigation systemPassed“Passed unanimously by voice vote”
Art. 17Playground Reconstruction (title from the Town's scorecard; no motion made)No action“no motions”
Art. 18Great Plain Avenue Road Construction (title from the Town's scorecard; no motion made)No action“no motions”
Art. 6Set Town Clerk annual salary at $113,625 effective July 1, 2024Passed“Passed by voice vote”
Art. 7 · motion 1Appropriate $400,000 from Free Cash for FY24 snow and ice removalPassed“Passed by voice vote”
Art. 7 · motion 2Transfer $2,500 from the Graves Officer stipend to the Celebrations CommitteePassed“Passed by voice vote”
Art. 7 · motion 3Transfer $190,000 from Town Hall interior design funds to the Town Hall interior construction contingencyPassed“Passed by voice vote”
Art. 8 · motion 1Appropriate $1,000,000 paid by the Municipal Light Plant to the Board of Assessors to reduce the FY25 tax ratePassed“Passed by voice vote”
Art. 17 · motion 1Community Preservation: $100,000 for CPC administration and FY24 reserves for historic resources and community housingPassed“Passed by voice vote”
Art. 32Accept M.G.L. c.44 s.53F3/4 to create a PEG Access and Cable Related FundPassed“Passed by voice vote”
Art. 33No motion was made under this article.No action“no motions”
Art. 34No motion was made under this article.No action“no motions”
Art. 35No motion was made under this article.No action“no motions”
Art. 36Amend General Bylaw 29.5 so the Board of Public Works can set stormwater utility rates and policiesPassed“Passed by voice vote”
Art. 37 · motion 1Amend General Bylaw 39.5 to set a term limit for the Veterans' Grave Officer and fix a statutory referencePassed“Passed by voice vote”
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).
"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.
Most board votes are unanimous. These are the ones where at least one member voted no or abstained, newest first.
Feb 14Approve the fiscal year budget in the amount of…Motion: To approve the fiscal year budget in the amount of $191,956,359…Passed 3–2 · No: Lanza, Woods
February 14, 2022: Approve the fiscal year budget in the amount of $191,956,359 including an appropriation of $117,036 from free cash
ApprovePassed · 3–2
To approve the fiscal year budget in the amount of $191,956,359 including an appropriation of $117,036 from free cash
Yes: Aufranc, Olney, UlfelderNo: Lanza, Woods
From the minutes
“Upon a motion by Mr. Ulfelder and seconded by Ms. Olney, the Board was polled and voted (3-2) to approve the fiscal year budget in the amount of $191,956,359 including an appropriation of $117,036 from free cash Sullivan Woods - No Olney -Aye Ulfelder - Aye Aufranc - Aye Lanza - No 11..” (Motion: Ulfelder, second: Olney)
Jan 24Remove the inclusion of $50,000 in the COA budget…Motion: To remove the inclusion of $50,000 in the COA budget to…Passed 3–2 · No: Lanza, Woods
January 24, 2022: Remove the inclusion of $50,000 in the COA budget to study the kitchen and entrance areas
ApprovePassed · 3–2
To remove the inclusion of $50,000 in the COA budget to study the kitchen and entrance areas
Yes: Aufranc, Olney, UlfelderNo: Lanza, Woods
From the minutes
“Upon a motion by Mr. Ulfelder and seconded by Ms. Olney, the Board was polled and voted (3-2) to remove the inclusion of $50,000 in the COA budget to study the kitchen and entrance areas. Sullivan Woods - No Olney -Aye Ulfelder - Aye Aufranc - Aye Lanza - No.” (Motion: Ulfelder, second: Olney)
Jan 3Approve that non-binding question be placed on the Town…Motion: To approve that non-binding question be placed on the Town election…Failed 1–4 · No: Aufranc, Lanza, Olney, Ulfelder
January 3, 2022: Approve that non-binding question be placed on the Town election ballot if the proponent of the non-binding referendum provided the Town Clerk with supportive signatures from no less than 10%…
ApproveFailed · 1–4
To approve that non-binding question be placed on the Town election ballot if the proponent of the non-binding referendum provided the Town Clerk with supportive signatures from no less than 10% of the Wellesley registered voters no later than forty-two days prior to the election
Yes: WoodsNo: Aufranc, Lanza, Olney, Ulfelder
From the minutes
“Upon a motion by Mr. Ulfelder and seconded by Ms. Sullivan Woods, the Board was polled and voted (1-4) to approve that non-binding question be placed on the Town election ballot if the proponent of the non-binding referendum provided the Town Clerk with supportive signatures from no less than 10% of the Wellesley registered voters no later than forty-two days prior to the election. Sullivan Woods - Aye Olney -No Ulfelder - No Aufranc - No Lanza - No.” (Motion: Ulfelder, second: Woods)
Jan 3Approve the non-binding referendum question for the annual Town…Motion: To approve the non-binding referendum question for the annual Town electionFailed 0–5 · No: Aufranc, Lanza, Olney, Ulfelder, Woods
January 3, 2022: Approve the non-binding referendum question for the annual Town election
ApproveFailed · 0–5
To approve the non-binding referendum question for the annual Town election
No: Aufranc, Lanza, Olney, Ulfelder, Woods
From the minutes
“Upon a motion by Ms. Sullivan Woods and seconded by Ms. Olney, the Board was polled and voted (0-5) to approve the non-binding referendum question for the annual Town election. Sullivan Woods - No Olney -No Ulfelder - No Aufranc - No Lanza - No.” (Motion: Woods, second: Olney)
Dec 6Approve the updated Wellesley Reprecincting plan as presented which…Motion: To approve the updated Wellesley Reprecincting plan as presented which includes…Passed Unanimous, 4 present · see note
December 6, 2021: Approve the updated Wellesley Reprecincting plan as presented which includes the Map, the Block Listing and the Legal Descriptions
ApprovePassed · Unanimous, 4 present
To approve the updated Wellesley Reprecincting plan as presented which includes the Map, the Block Listing and the Legal Descriptions
Ann-Mara Lanza had left the meeting.
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 updated Wellesley Reprecincting plan as presented which includes the Map, the Block Listing and the Legal Descriptions. Sullivan Woods - Aye Olney -Aye Ulfelder - Aye Aufranc - Aye.” (Motion: Woods, second: Olney)
Dec 6Approve the consent to the assignment and related financing…Motion: To approve the consent to the assignment and related financing of…Passed Unanimous, 4 present · see note
December 6, 2021: Approve the consent to the assignment and related financing of the leasehold interest at 900 Worcester Street to Albany Road Real Estate Partners
ApprovePassed · Unanimous, 4 present
To approve the consent to the assignment and related financing of the leasehold interest at 900 Worcester Street to Albany Road Real Estate Partners
Ann-Mara Lanza had left the meeting.
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 consent to the assignment and related financing of the leasehold interest at 900 Worcester Street to Albany Road Real Estate Partners. Sullivan Woods - Aye Olney -Aye Ulfelder - Aye Aufranc - Aye.” (Motion: Woods, second: Olney)
Nov 15Approve the change in owner for Dunkin Donuts at…Motion: To approve the change in owner for Dunkin Donuts at 277…Passed Unanimous, 4 present · see note
November 15, 2021: Approve the change in owner for Dunkin Donuts at 277 Linden Street to Mark Pesce and to condition the permit with the following: 1
ApprovePassed · Unanimous, 4 present
To approve the change in owner for Dunkin Donuts at 277 Linden Street to Mark Pesce and to condition the permit with the following: 1
Colette Aufranc 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 change in owner for Dunkin Donuts at 277 Linden Street to Mark Pesce and to condition the permit with the following: 1..” (Motion: Woods, second: Olney)
Aug 31Approve a 3% increase for Chief Pilecki for FY22…Motion: To approve a 3% increase for Chief Pilecki for FY22 fiscal…Passed 4–0 · Abstained: Lanza
August 31, 2021: Approve a 3% increase for Chief Pilecki for FY22 fiscal year
ApprovePassed · 4–0
To approve a 3% increase for Chief Pilecki for FY22 fiscal year
“Upon a motion by Ms. Sullivan Woods and seconded by Ms. Olney, the Board was polled and voted (4-0-1) to approve a 3% increase for Chief Pilecki for FY22 fiscal year. Sullivan Woods - Aye Olney -Aye Ulfelder - Aye Aufranc - Aye Lanza - Abstained.” (Motion: Woods, second: Olney)
Aug 31Approve a 3% increase for Executive Director Meghan Jop…Motion: To approve a 3% increase for Executive Director Meghan Jop for…Passed 4–1 · No: Woods
August 31, 2021: Approve a 3% increase for Executive Director Meghan Jop for FY22 fiscal year
ApprovePassed · 4–1
To approve a 3% increase for Executive Director Meghan Jop for FY22 fiscal year
Yes: Aufranc, Lanza, Olney, UlfelderNo: Woods
From the minutes
“Upon a motion by Ms. Sullivan Woods and seconded by Ms. Olney, the Board was polled and voted (4-1) to approve a 3% increase for Executive Director Meghan Jop for FY22 fiscal year. Sullivan Woods - No Olney -Aye Ulfelder - Aye Aufranc - Aye Lanza - Aye.” (Motion: Woods, second: Olney)
“Upon a motion by Ms. Sullivan Woods and seconded by Ms. Olney the Board was polled and voted (4-1) proclaim the second Monday of October henceforth be commemorated as Indigenous Peoples' Day and cease to recognize Columbus Day in Wellesley. Sullivan Woods - No Olney -Aye Ulfelder - Aye Aufranc - Aye Lanza - Aye.” (Motion: Woods, second: Olney)
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).