Opinion: Keep the Select Board at three members

By Laurie Bent

I will be voting to keep the Select Board at three members for two reasons.

1. Competition for Select Board seats is a good thing and with Weston’s limited volunteer pool we are more likely to have competitive elections on a smaller Select Board.

It may seem contradictory that keeping the Select Board at three gives voters a greater voice on Town Policy than they would have with a larger board. However, voters have a more powerful voice in the direction and style of the Select Board when there is a contested election. A contested election creates the opportunity for vigorous debate between candidates that clarifies differences of style, experience, and fiscal preferences. In an uncontested election, voters must accept the candidate who is willing to step up, with no opportunity to express their priorities.

Voters instinctively understand this, and our recent voting history illustrates the point dramatically. Six of our last 12 Select Board elections were contested, and six were not.Voter turnout for contested elections was more than double the turnout for uncontested elections. In the six contested elections, the average total vote for the Select Board candidates was 1,282, and an average of 60 ballots were left blank. In the six uncontested elections, the average total vote for the select board candidates was 612 and an average of 158 ballots were left blank. Voters in an uncontested Select Board election left the Select Board choice blank more than 2.5 times more often than in a contested election—they knew their vote wouldn’t change the outcome.

Weston is a small town. It is even a smaller town than the census numbers indicate, because at several times during the year, about 30% of Weston residents are away for a long enough period to have their mail forwarded to a different address. Creating more spaces for volunteers will not create the volunteers to fill them, much as we might wish that were the case. Instead, with a larger Select Board, we are likely to have even more uncontested elections than we do now. Voter turnout is likely to decrease because voters will have even less opportunity to express their views through the ballot box on the issues facing the town. Our electoral choices will be limited and as a result our voices will be muted.

2. A three-member board functions more openly and transparently than a five-member board. On a five-member board, two members of the board can meet privately, out of the public eye. I do not see that as a benefit; rather it will make the select board’s work less public and less transparent. Private meetings allow for alliances to be formed, and could undermine the open collaboration that a three-member board demands. On a five-member board, a single member should not speak to more than one other board member on an issue, but there would be no way to monitor that. Perhaps that is why five-member boards are more often subject to Open Meeting Law complaints.

Laurie Bent was a member of the Weston Select Board from 2019 to 2025.

Read more about the upcoming special election:

• A look back at the Select Board expansion effort
• Governor signs Select Board expansion act, election set for Jan. 13
• Select Board expansion mirrors other towns
• Letter to the editor: Before we vote on Select Board expansion
• Letters to the editor: Moderator’s letter questioned
• Letters to the editor: More information needed on Select Board expansion.