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Municipal votes · 2024–2025 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. John Cunningham was re-elected at the May 7, 2024 town election. On May 14, 2024 the board chose Scott Hazelton as Chair, Tom Clay as Vice Chair and Chris Barrett as Clerk (each 4-0; Andrea Peraner-Sweet was absent). Covers 24 meetings, May 14 to May 2, 2025.

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

Your Westford ballot: 13 quizzes, about a minute each.

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Board years

Coming up

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

Chris BarrettClerk · At-large · at 24 of 24 meetingsJohn CunninghamMember · At-large · at 24 of 24 meetingsAndrea Peraner-SweetMember · At-large · at 22 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

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.

Friday, May 2, 2025 · Regular meeting7 recorded votes, 3 with disagreementAll 5 members presentThursday, April 24, 2025 · Regular meeting20 recorded votes, 0 with disagreementAll 5 members presentTuesday, March 25, 2025 · Regular meeting14 recorded votes, 0 with disagreementAll 5 members presentTuesday, March 11, 2025 · Regular meeting14 recorded votes, 1 with disagreementAll 5 members presentTuesday, February 25, 2025 · Regular meeting35 recorded votes, 2 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.

May 2Approve the contract with Cabot Risk Strategies for Building…Motion: It was moved by SB Member Peraner-Sweet, seconded by SB Member…Passed 4–0 · see note

May 2, 2025: Approve the contract with Cabot Risk Strategies for Building Risk insurance for JV Fletcher Library renovation and Addition Project, subject to the Permanent Town Building Committee and Board of...

ApprovePassed · 4–0

It was moved by SB Member Peraner-Sweet, seconded by SB Member Cunningham, and VOTED 4 IN FAVOR, 1 ABSENT (Barrett) TO APPROVE the contract with Cabot Risk Strategies for Building Risk insurance for JV Fletcher Library renovation and Addition Project, subject to the Permanent Town Building Committee and Board of Library Trustees approval.

Yes: Clay, Cunningham, Hazelton, Peraner-SweetThe minutes list Chris Barrett as absent for this vote (“VOTED 4 IN FAVOR, 1 ABSENT (Barrett)”), so Chris Barrett is not shown voting.

From the minutes

“It was moved by SB Member Peraner-Sweet, seconded by SB Member Cunningham, and VOTED 4 IN FAVOR, 1 ABSENT (Barrett) TO APPROVE the contract with Cabot Risk Strategies for Building Risk insurance for JV Fletcher Library renovation and Addition Project, subject to the Permanent Town Building Committee and Board of Library Trustees approval..” (Motion: Peraner-Sweet, second: Cunningham)

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

May 2Approve the Insight Risk Technologies for Water Loss Prevention…Motion: It was moved by SB Member Peraner-Sweet, seconded by SB Member…Passed 4–0 · see note

May 2, 2025: Approve the Insight Risk Technologies for Water Loss Prevention Technology Services for JV Fletcher Library Renovation and Addition Project, subject to Permanent Town Building Committee and Board...

ApprovePassed · 4–0

It was moved by SB Member Peraner-Sweet, seconded by SB Member Cunningham, and VOTED 4 IN FAVOR , 1 ABSENT (Barrett) TO APPROVE the Insight Risk Technologies for Water Loss Prevention Technology Services for JV Fletcher Library Renovation and Addition Project, subject to Permanent Town Building Committee and Board of Library Trustees approval.

Yes: Clay, Cunningham, Hazelton, Peraner-SweetThe minutes list Chris Barrett as absent for this vote (“VOTED 4 IN FAVOR , 1 ABSENT (Barrett)”), so Chris Barrett is not shown voting.

From the minutes

“It was moved by SB Member Peraner-Sweet, seconded by SB Member Cunningham, and VOTED 4 IN FAVOR , 1 ABSENT (Barrett) TO APPROVE the Insight Risk Technologies for Water Loss Prevention Technology Services for JV Fletcher Library Renovation and Addition Project, subject to Permanent Town Building Committee and Board of Library Trustees approval..” (Motion: Peraner-Sweet, second: Cunningham)

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

Mar 11Recommend Article 20Motion: It was moved by SB Member Clay, seconded by SB Member…Passed 4–1 · No: Hazelton

March 11, 2025: Recommend Article 20

ApprovePassed · 4–1

It was moved by SB Member Clay, seconded by SB Member Peraner-Sweet and VOTED 4 IN FAVOR, 1 OPPOSED (Hazelton)TO RECOMMEND Article 20.

Yes: Barrett, Clay, Cunningham, Peraner-SweetNo: Hazelton

From the minutes

“It was moved by SB Member Clay, seconded by SB Member Peraner-Sweet and VOTED 4 IN FAVOR, 1 OPPOSED (Hazelton)TO RECOMMEND Article 20..” (Motion: Clay, second: Peraner-Sweet)

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

Feb 25Set the effective date to July 1, 2026Motion: It was moved by SB Member Peraner-Sweet, seconded by SB Member…Passed 4–1 · No: Hazelton

February 25, 2025: Set the effective date to July 1, 2026

ApprovePassed · 4–1

It was moved by SB Member Peraner-Sweet, seconded by SB Member Barrett, and VOTED 4 IN FAVOR, 1 opposed (Hazelton) TO SET the effective date to July 1, 2026.

Yes: Barrett, Clay, Cunningham, Peraner-SweetNo: Hazelton

From the minutes

“It was moved by SB Member Peraner-Sweet, seconded by SB Member Barrett, and VOTED 4 IN FAVOR, 1 opposed (Hazelton) TO SET the effective date to July 1, 2026..” (Motion: Peraner-Sweet, second: Barrett)

Read it in the official minutes, page 14 (PDF)

Dec 17Approve the First Parish Church United Community Preservation Grant…Motion: It was moved by SB Member Peraner-Sweet, seconded by SB Member…Passed 4–0 · Abstained: Clay

December 17, 2024: Approve the First Parish Church United Community Preservation Grant Agreement as revised and presented

ApprovePassed · 4–0

It was moved by SB Member Peraner-Sweet, seconded by SB Member Barrett, and VOTED 4 IN FAVOR, 1 ABSTAIN (Clay) TO APPROVE the First Parish Church United Community Preservation Grant Agreement as revised and presented.

Yes: Barrett, Cunningham, Hazelton, Peraner-SweetAbstained: Clay

From the minutes

“It was moved by SB Member Peraner-Sweet, seconded by SB Member Barrett, and VOTED 4 IN FAVOR, 1 ABSTAIN (Clay) TO APPROVE the First Parish Church United Community Preservation Grant Agreement as revised and presented..” (Motion: Peraner-Sweet, second: Barrett)

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

Nov 12Approve the request, subject to all Public Safety recommendationsMotion: It was moved by SB Member Peraner-Sweet, seconded by SB Member…Passed 4–0 · Abstained: Hazelton

November 12, 2024: Approve the request, subject to all Public Safety recommendations

ApprovePassed · 4–0

It was moved by SB Member Peraner-Sweet, seconded by SB Member Cunningham, and VOTED 4 IN FAVOR, 1 ABSTAIN (Hazelton) TO APPROVE the request, subject to all Public Safety recommendations.

Yes: Barrett, Clay, Cunningham, Peraner-SweetAbstained: Hazelton

From the minutes

“It was moved by SB Member Peraner-Sweet, seconded by SB Member Cunningham, and VOTED 4 IN FAVOR, 1 ABSTAIN (Hazelton) TO APPROVE the request, subject to all Public Safety recommendations..” (Motion: Peraner-Sweet, second: Cunningham)

Read it in the official minutes, page 2 (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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