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Municipal votes · 2017–2018 Board

Westford Select Board

How the Westford Select Board voted, from the Select Board’s official minutes. 5 Select Board members elected townwide for three-year terms. Scott Hazelton served as Chairman and Andrea Peraner-Sweet as Vice Chairman of the Board of Selectmen, with Mark Kost, Elizabeth Almeida and Tom Clay. MassVoter’s record starts with the January 9, 2018 meeting. The same five members served after the May 1, 2018 town election; the minutes record the board’s reorganization on October 23, 2018. The minutes from this period do not name a Clerk. Covers 23 meetings, January 9 to October 9, 2018.

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

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MassVoter can’t read Westford’s meeting calendar automatically yet. See upcoming meetings on the official site →

What Town Meeting decided

In Westford, 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.

Annual Town Meeting · March 28, 2026 33 votes: 28 passed, 1 failed, 2 no action, 2 other

Sessions: Saturday, March 28, 2026

Source: Town Clerk: Annual Town Meeting, March 28, 2026, Minutes (Westford document archive, category "Town Meeting", type Minutes).

Special Town Meeting · October 27, 2025 20 votes: 18 passed, 2 failed

Sessions: Monday, October 27, 2025

Source: Office of the Town Clerk: Special Town Meeting Results, October 27, 2025 (Document Center PDF, linked as "Results for STM Oct 27 2025 - Copy").

Annual Town Meeting · March 22, 2025 28 votes: 23 passed, 2 failed, 2 no action, 1 advisory

Sessions: Saturday, March 22, 2025

Source: Town Clerk: Annual Town Meeting, March 22, 2025, minutes (Document Center PDF, linked as "March 22 2025 TM Minutes final").

Special Town Meeting · October 21, 2024 10 votes: 8 passed, 1 failed, 1 advisory

Sessions: Monday, October 21, 2024

Source: Town Clerk: 2024 Special Town Meeting, October 21, 2024, minutes (Document Center PDF, linked as "STM 10-24-24 final minutes").

Annual Town Meeting · April 27, 2024 24 votes: 19 passed, 2 passed as amended, 1 failed, 2 no action

Sessions: Saturday, April 27, 2024

Source: Town Clerk: Annual Town Meeting, April 27, 2024, Minutes (Westford document archive, category "Town Clerk", type Minutes).

Not here yet: All Westford Town Meetings held from January 2024 to October 12, 2026 are here; the 2026 Special Town Meeting is on October 26, 2026.

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

Elizabeth AlmeidaMember · At-large · at 22 of 23 meetingsTom ClayMember · At-large · at 19 of 23 meetingsMark KostMember · At-large · at 22 of 23 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: Westford Select Board minutes from January 9, 2018 through July 28, 2026: 262 meetings and 3,234 votes. The town’s document archive holds Select Board and Board of Selectmen minutes back to 1890 (typed, searchable files from 2003); MassVoter loaded January 2018 on. The board was the Board of Selectmen until the Legislature approved the Town Charter change on November 13, 2020; its minutes are headed “Select Board” from December 8, 2020. Most 2018–2019 approved minutes are signed scans, which MassVoter read with text recognition (where the archive also has the typed draft, the approved copy is used). Also loaded: joint meetings with the Finance Committee, School Committee and Town and School Safety Task Force that are filed with the board’s minutes; only the Select Board’s own votes are shown. Not online: the minutes of some meetings with posted agendas, among them March 13 and October 15, 2018; February 12, 2019; May 12 and June 9, 2020; January 14, April 8 and April 22, 2025; and the October 2025 goal-setting retreat. MassVoter is asking the town for them. Not here: executive-session minutes, cancelled meetings, and the votes of the Finance Committee, School Committee and other boards at joint meetings. Minutes after July 28, 2026 are not posted yet (the board approves them before posting, usually about two months later). The town also reposts each agenda the day after a meeting with “ACTION TAKEN” notes under the items; those are not minutes, and MassVoter does not use them. Westford’s minutes name the mover and seconder and give a count, naming any member who votes no, abstains, recuses or is absent (“VOTED 3 IN FAVOR, 2 OPPOSED (Hazelton, Kost) TO RECOMMEND Article 11”); a count that equals the members present, with the members voting no or abstaining named, is shown as each member’s vote. Meetings with a member taking part remotely (2018) and the 2020 remote meetings add roll calls by name (“Clay - yes, Kost - no”). Members who arrived late, left, recused or were out of the room are not shown in the votes they missed. Where the count does not fit the members present or does not match the roll call, we show the count only (14 votes); where the minutes say the board voted by roll call but give no count, we show the result only (4 votes). A motion with no recorded outcome is not counted as a vote. We will ask the town to confirm any noted vote.

Tuesday, October 9, 2018 · Regular meeting21 recorded votes, 1 with disagreementAll 5 members presentTuesday, September 25, 2018 · Regular meeting27 recorded votes, 0 with disagreementAbsent: Tom ClayTuesday, September 11, 2018 · Regular meeting7 recorded votes, 0 with disagreementAbsent: Scott HazeltonTuesday, August 28, 2018 · Regular meeting14 recorded votes, 1 with disagreementAbsent: Andrea Peraner-SweetTuesday, August 14, 2018 · Regular meeting13 recorded votes, 0 with disagreementAbsent: Scott Hazelton, Elizabeth Almeida

Votes where members disagreed

Most board votes are unanimous. These are the ones where at least one member voted no or abstained, newest first.

Oct 9Recommend Article 2Motion: It was moved by Selectman Clay, seconded by Selectman Almeida and…Passed 4–1 · No: Kost

October 9, 2018: Recommend Article 2

ApprovePassed · 4–1

It was moved by Selectman Clay, seconded by Selectman Almeida and VOTED 4 IN FAVOR, 1 OPPOSED (Kost) BY ROLL CALL TO RECOMMEND Article 2. Clay - yes, Almeida - yes, Kost - no, Hazelton -yes, Peraner-Sweet - yes

Yes: Almeida, Clay, Hazelton, Peraner-SweetNo: Kost

From the minutes

“It was moved by Selectman Clay, seconded by Selectman Almeida and VOTED 4 IN FAVOR, 1 OPPOSED (Kost) BY ROLL CALL TO RECOMMEND Article 2. Clay - yes, Almeida - yes, Kost - no, Hazelton -yes, Peraner-Sweet - yes.” (Motion: Clay, second: Almeida)

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

Jul 24Extend the time until August 15, 2018 to remove…Motion: It was moved by Selectman Kost, seconded by Selectman Almeida and…Passed 4–0 · Abstained: Peraner-Sweet

July 24, 2018: Extend the time until August 15, 2018 to remove the fence from the town's right-of-way

ApprovePassed · 4–0

It was moved by Selectman Kost, seconded by Selectman Almeida and VOTED 4 IN FAVOR, 1 ABSTAIN (Peraner-Sweet) TO EXTEND the time until August 15, 2018 to remove the fence from the town's right-of-way.

Yes: Almeida, Clay, Hazelton, KostAbstained: Peraner-Sweet

From the minutes

“It was moved by Selectman Kost, seconded by Selectman Almeida and VOTED 4 IN FAVOR, 1 ABSTAIN (Peraner-Sweet) TO EXTEND the time until August 15, 2018 to remove the fence from the town's right-of-way..” (Motion: Kost, second: Almeida)

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

Mar 27Approve the recommendations as presentedMotion: It was moved by Selectman Almeida, seconded by Selectman Clay and…Passed 3–0 · see note

March 27, 2018: Approve the recommendations as presented

ApprovePassed · 3–0

It was moved by Selectman Almeida, seconded by Selectman Clay and VOTED 3 IN FAVOR, 1 RECUSED (Kost), 1 ABSENT (Hazelton) TO APPROVE the recommendations as presented.

Yes: Almeida, Clay, Peraner-SweetThe minutes say Mark Kost recused, so Mark Kost is not shown voting.

From the minutes

“It was moved by Selectman Almeida, seconded by Selectman Clay and VOTED 3 IN FAVOR, 1 RECUSED (Kost), 1 ABSENT (Hazelton) TO APPROVE the recommendations as presented..” (Motion: Almeida, second: Clay)

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

Mar 20Approve the request to remove the section of fence…Motion: It was moved by Selectman Kost, seconded by Selectman Almeida and…Passed 3–0 · Abstained: Peraner-Sweet

March 20, 2018: Approve the request to remove the section of fence from the right-of-way at 5 Koala Bear Lane

ApprovePassed · 3–0

It was moved by Selectman Kost, seconded by Selectman Almeida and VOTED 3 IN FAVOR, 1 ABSENT (Clay), 1 ABSTAIN (Peraner-Sweet) TO APPROVE the request to remove the section of fence from the right-of-way at 5 Koala Bear Lane.

Yes: Almeida, Hazelton, KostAbstained: Peraner-Sweet

From the minutes

“It was moved by Selectman Kost, seconded by Selectman Almeida and VOTED 3 IN FAVOR, 1 ABSENT (Clay), 1 ABSTAIN (Peraner-Sweet) TO APPROVE the request to remove the section of fence from the right-of-way at 5 Koala Bear Lane..” (Motion: Kost, second: Almeida)

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

Mar 20Recommend Article 25Motion: It was moved by Selectman Peraner-Sweet, seconded by Selectman Almeida and…Passed 3–1 · No: Kost

March 20, 2018: Recommend Article 25

ApprovePassed · 3–1

It was moved by Selectman Peraner-Sweet, seconded by Selectman Almeida and VOTED 3 IN FAVOR, 1 OPPOSED (Kost),1 ABSENT (Clay) TO RECOMMEND Article 25.

Yes: Almeida, Hazelton, Peraner-SweetNo: Kost

From the minutes

“It was moved by Selectman Peraner-Sweet, seconded by Selectman Almeida and VOTED 3 IN FAVOR, 1 OPPOSED (Kost),1 ABSENT (Clay) TO RECOMMEND Article 25..” (Motion: Peraner-Sweet, second: Almeida)

Read it in the official minutes, page 9 (PDF)

Mar 1Recommend Article 3Motion: It was moved by Almeida, seconded by Kost and VOTED 4…Passed 4–0 · see note

March 1, 2018 (Joint meeting): Recommend Article 3

ApprovePassed · 4–0

It was moved by Almeida, seconded by Kost and VOTED 4 IN FAVOR (Peraner-Sweet arrived at 7:13 pm), TO RECOMMEND Article 3.

Yes: Almeida, Clay, Hazelton, KostAndrea Peraner-Sweet arrived at 7:13 pm, after this vote, and is not shown voting.

From the minutes

“It was moved by Almeida, seconded by Kost and VOTED 4 IN FAVOR (Peraner-Sweet arrived at 7:13 pm), TO RECOMMEND Article 3..” (Motion: Almeida, second: Kost)

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

Feb 27Approve the Plastic Bag Regulation Working Group as presentedMotion: It was moved by Selectman Peraner-Sweet, seconded by Selectman Clay and…Passed 4–1 · No: Kost

February 27, 2018: Approve the Plastic Bag Regulation Working Group as presented

ApprovePassed · 4–1

It was moved by Selectman Peraner-Sweet, seconded by Selectman Clay and VOTED 4 IN FAVOR, 1 OPPOSED (Kost) TO APPROVE the Plastic Bag Regulation Working Group as presented.

Yes: Almeida, Clay, Hazelton, Peraner-SweetNo: Kost

From the minutes

“It was moved by Selectman Peraner-Sweet, seconded by Selectman Clay and VOTED 4 IN FAVOR, 1 OPPOSED (Kost) TO APPROVE the Plastic Bag Regulation Working Group as presented..” (Motion: Peraner-Sweet, second: Clay)

Read it in the official minutes, page 10 (PDF)

Feb 13Recommend Article 24Motion: It was moved by Selectman Peraner-Sweet, seconded by Selectman Clay and…Passed 4–1 · No: Hazelton

February 13, 2018: Recommend Article 24

ApprovePassed · 4–1

It was moved by Selectman Peraner-Sweet, seconded by Selectman Clay and VOTED 4 IN FAVOR, 1 OPPOSED (Hazelton) TO RECOMMEND Article 24.

Yes: Almeida, Clay, Kost, Peraner-SweetNo: Hazelton

From the minutes

“It was moved by Selectman Peraner-Sweet, seconded by Selectman Clay and VOTED 4 IN FAVOR, 1 OPPOSED (Hazelton) TO RECOMMEND Article 24..” (Motion: Peraner-Sweet, second: Clay)

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

Jan 25Approve the minutes of January 18, 2018Motion: It was moved by Kost, seconded by Almeida and VOTED 4…Passed 4–0 · see note

January 25, 2018 (Joint meeting): Approve the minutes of January 18, 2018

Approve minutesPassed · 4–0

It was moved by Kost, seconded by Almeida and VOTED 4 IN FAVOR, TO APPROVE the minutes of January 18, 2018.

Yes: Almeida, Hazelton, Kost, Peraner-SweetThe attendance list says Tom Clay took part by telephone from 7:05 pm to 7:30 pm; the count (4 in favor) matches the other four members, so Tom Clay is not shown in this vote.

From the minutes

“It was moved by Kost, seconded by Almeida and VOTED 4 IN FAVOR, TO APPROVE the minutes of January 18, 2018..” (Motion: Kost, second: Almeida)

Read it in the official minutes, page 1 (PDF)

Jan 18Approve the minutes of January 11, 2018Motion: It was moved by Kost, seconded by Almeida and VOTED 3…Passed 3–0 · see note

January 18, 2018 (Joint meeting): Approve the minutes of January 11, 2018

Approve minutesPassed · 3–0

It was moved by Kost, seconded by Almeida and VOTED 3 IN FAVOR, TO APPROVE the minutes of January 11, 2018.

The minutes record “VOTED 3 IN FAVOR”, but 5 members were at the meeting (Mark Kost, Elizabeth Almeida, Scott Hazelton, Andrea Peraner-Sweet and Tom Clay), and they do not say who did not vote. Showing the count only.

From the minutes

“It was moved by Kost, seconded by Almeida and VOTED 3 IN FAVOR, TO APPROVE the minutes of January 11, 2018..” (Motion: Kost, second: Almeida)

Read it in the official minutes, page 1 (PDF)

From the Westford Select Board’s official minutes, posted in the town’s document archive (“View all meeting minutes” on the Select Board page) and, for recent meetings, its Agenda Center. 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 only an unnamed group photo): League of Women Voters of Westford Voters’ Guides — Chris Barrett, Tom Clay and Elizabeth Sawyer (2026); Sean Kelly and Noëlle Donovan (2025). Cropped by MassVoter. Former members show initials.

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