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Municipal votes · 2025–2026 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. Noëlle Donovan and Sean Kelly were elected at the May 6, 2025 town election, succeeding Scott Hazelton and Andrea Peraner-Sweet. On May 13, 2025 the board chose Tom Clay as Chair, Chris Barrett as Vice Chair and John Cunningham as Clerk (each 5-0). John Cunningham announced on February 10, 2026 that he would resign effective May 4, 2026; the last year of his term was filled at the May 5, 2026 town election. Covers 29 meetings, May 13 to April 28, 2026.

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

John CunninghamClerk · At-large · at 29 of 29 meetingsNoëlle DonovanMember · At-large · at 28 of 29 meetingsSean KellyMember · At-large · at 27 of 29 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, April 28, 2026 · Regular meeting11 recorded votes, 1 with disagreementAll 5 members presentTuesday, April 14, 2026 · Regular meeting23 recorded votes, 0 with disagreementAll 5 members presentWednesday, April 1, 2026 · Regular meeting7 recorded votes, 1 with disagreementAbsent: Tom ClayTuesday, March 24, 2026 · Regular meeting17 recorded votes, 0 with disagreementAll 5 members presentTuesday, March 10, 2026 · Regular meeting16 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.

Apr 1Approve the grants as presentedMotion: It was moved by SB Member Cunningham, seconded by SB Member…Passed 5–0 · see note

April 1, 2026: Approve the grants as presented

ApprovePassed · 5–0

It was moved by SB Member Cunningham, seconded by SB Member Donovan, and VOTED 5 IN FAVOR TO APPROVE the grants as presented.

The minutes record “VOTED 5 IN FAVOR”, but 4 members were at the meeting (Chris Barrett, John Cunningham, Noëlle Donovan and Sean Kelly), and they do not say who did not vote. Showing the count only.

From the minutes

“It was moved by SB Member Cunningham, seconded by SB Member Donovan, and VOTED 5 IN FAVOR TO APPROVE the grants as presented..” (Motion: Cunningham, second: Donovan)

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

Jan 27Appoint Meghan O'Connell as an alternate member of the…Motion: It was moved by SB Member Cunningham, seconded by SB Member…Passed 4–1 · No: Donovan

January 27, 2026: Appoint Meghan O'Connell as an alternate member of the Permanent Town Building Committee for a term to expire June 30, 2027

AppointPassed · 4–1

It was moved by SB Member Cunningham, seconded by SB Member Kelly, and VOTED 4 IN FAVOR, 1 OPPOSED (Donovan) TO APPOINT Meghan O'Connell as an alternate member of the Permanent Town Building Committee for a term to expire June 30, 2027.

Yes: Barrett, Clay, Cunningham, KellyNo: Donovan

From the minutes

“It was moved by SB Member Cunningham, seconded by SB Member Kelly, and VOTED 4 IN FAVOR, 1 OPPOSED (Donovan) TO APPOINT Meghan O'Connell as an alternate member of the Permanent Town Building Committee for a term to expire June 30, 2027..” (Motion: Cunningham, second: Kelly)

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

Jan 13Grant a Solicitor Permit to Edward AppMotion: It was moved by SB Member Donovan, seconded by SB Member…Failed 2–3 · No: Barrett, Clay, Kelly

January 13, 2026: Grant a Solicitor Permit to Edward App

DenyFailed · 2–3

It was moved by SB Member Donovan, seconded by SB Member Cunningham and VOTED BY ROLL CALL, 2 IN FAVOR, 3 DENY (Kelly, Barrett, Clay) TO GRANT a Solicitor Permit to Edward App.

Yes: Cunningham, DonovanNo: Barrett, Clay, Kelly

From the minutes

“It was moved by SB Member Donovan, seconded by SB Member Cunningham and VOTED BY ROLL CALL, 2 IN FAVOR, 3 DENY (Kelly, Barrett, Clay) TO GRANT a Solicitor Permit to Edward App..” (Motion: Donovan, second: Cunningham)

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

Nov 25Approve changes to the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion charge…Motion: It was moved by SB Member Cunningham, seconded by SB Chair…Passed 4–1 · No: Donovan

November 25, 2025: Approve changes to the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion charge to 13 full members, 6 alternate members, 2 full student members, and 2 liaison non-voting members

ApprovePassed · 4–1

It was moved by SB Member Cunningham, seconded by SB Chair Clay, and VOTED 4 IN FAVOR, 1 OPPOSED (Donovan) TO APPROVE changes to the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion charge to 13 full members, 6 alternate members, 2 full student members, and 2 liaison non-voting members.

Yes: Barrett, Clay, Cunningham, KellyNo: Donovan

From the minutes

“It was moved by SB Member Cunningham, seconded by SB Chair Clay, and VOTED 4 IN FAVOR, 1 OPPOSED (Donovan) TO APPROVE changes to the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion charge to 13 full members, 6 alternate members, 2 full student members, and 2 liaison non-voting members..” (Motion: Cunningham, second: Clay)

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

May 27Approve the M.G.L. c. 138, Section 15, All-Alcohol Package…Motion: It was moved by SB Member Kelly, seconded by SB Member…Passed 4–1 · No: Barrett

May 27, 2025: Approve the M.G.L. c. 138, Section 15, All-Alcohol Package Store License as presented

ApprovePassed · 4–1

It was moved by SB Member Kelly, seconded by SB Member Donovan, and VOTED 4 IN FAVOR, 1 OPPOSED (Barrett) TO APPROVE the M.G.L. c. 138, Section 15, All-Alcohol Package Store License as presented.

Yes: Clay, Cunningham, Donovan, KellyNo: Barrett

From the minutes

“It was moved by SB Member Kelly, seconded by SB Member Donovan, and VOTED 4 IN FAVOR, 1 OPPOSED (Barrett) TO APPROVE the M.G.L. c. 138, Section 15, All-Alcohol Package Store License as presented..” (Motion: Kelly, second: Donovan)

Read it in the official minutes, page 4 (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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