Select Board expansion mirrors other towns

Voters head to the polls next month to decide whether or not to expand the Weston Select Board from three to five members. The work leading to the vote in Weston parallels other efforts around the region.

Background

Weston voters overwhelmingly approved a non-binding citizens’ petition at the 2022 Annual Town Meeting, but Select Board members at the time said they wanted more information before making a major change to town government.

In 2023, the board appointed a Town Governance Study Committee, which recommended against the change. Voters, however, approved a warrant article at the 2025 Annual Town Meeting, teeing up January’s special election to affirm that vote.

Read Observer coverage of the Select Board expansion effort and relevant letters to the editor: A look back at the Select Board expansion effort, Governor signs Select Board expansion act, election set for Jan. 13, 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.

What have other towns done?

With an approval, Weston could follow in the footsteps of Sharon, whose residents opted for a larger Select Board to delegate responsibilities and share the workload. With a rejection, Weston could be like Belmont, whose residents opted to keep the status quo because they felt there wasn’t a need for change.

While the circumstances in each community vary, the cases made for and against expanding the Select Board in these towns, and others, mirror the discussion in Weston. A larger board could broaden resident representation and diversify opinion but may result in less efficient meetings because of prolonged discussion. More board members could mean residents have more opportunity to connect with the board, but it could allow a few members to discuss town matters without a quorum. More seats could encourage more people to run, but turnover could become an issue.

As Weston prepares to head to the ballot box, here is how the decisions in Sharon and Belmont played out.

Sharon’s case

Sharon residents recently elected their inaugural five-member Select Board after rejecting an initial expansion effort in 2021, with many naysayers citing concerns about changing town government structure without reviewing potential impacts of the change.

Much like Weston, the Sharon Select Board created a Governance Study Committee to examine how an expanded Select Board, as well as other changes to government, could affect the town of 18,000. In 2023, another citizens’ petition to expand the Select Board was put forward and approved, and residents affirmed the change in 2024.

Sharon Select Board Chair Kiana Baskin said the initial effort was brought forward because of a “perception in town that the three-member board lacked sufficient deliberation and diversity of thought and perspective.” Residents approved an expansion following the Governance Study Committee’s report, although Baskin noted there were still some reservations among some voters.

Baskin and her fellow board member Hanna Switlekowski, who was the chair of the board during the 2023 effort, said the move has been effective for Sharon, but meetings have been longer and there has been an increase in work for the town administrator and their staff.

“Our town administrator and their team have made the transition to a five-member board remarkably seamless,” Baskin said in an email, noting work can be distributed among members. “That said, towns considering an expansion should carefully assess the capacity and ability of town leadership and staff to support the increased demands.”

While there have been some “growing pains” with a five-member board – they are learning how to “direct community outreach to individual board members to ensure everyone remains aligned and informed” – Baskin said she and her fellow board members believe it will better serve the town.

Other communities that have expanded their select boards in recent years include Lakeville and Oxford in 2023 and Hanson in 2024.

Belmont’s case

In contrast, in Belmont, a Boston suburb with a population of more than 27,000, Town Meeting members have voted against at least three proposed Select Board expansions since 2003.

Most recently, in November 2024, voters rejected an expansion proposal by a margin of 151-61. Town Meeting members argued at that time that a larger board would give the town administrator too much power and there was not enough public input to support making a decision at that time.

“Belmont has considered expanding the Select Board to five members multiple times, and each time Town Meeting has declined to do so because Belmont’s town administrator position has very limited scope and power,” Belmont Select Board Chair Matt Taylor said.

The town has not strengthened its town administrator role since its creation in 2014. Taylor added larger boards are less involved in the day-to-day operations of a town.

“Towns with larger Select Boards typically operate as policy boards and have a town manager, or a strong town administrator who has nearly all the same authority as a typical town manager,” he said.

Taylor’s board, as well as the Warrant Committee – Belmont’s version of a Finance Committee – opposed the citizens’ petition. The Belmont Select Board stated an expanded Select Board would require more full-time employees, work less efficiently and result in less transparency.

Belmont isn’t the only community to reject a Select Board expansion. Residents in Lancaster approved an article at their 2024 Annual Town Meeting, but rejected the measure at the ballot box in their 2025 election.

Special election information

Weston’s special election is Tuesday, Jan. 13, with polls open from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Town Hall, 11 Town House Road. A majority of voters must approve the ballot question for it to pass. If it is approved, then two new Select Board positions will appear on the 2026 annual town election ballot.

The last day to register to vote is Friday, Jan. 2. The last day to apply to vote by mail is Jan. 7. In-person early voting will take place in the Town Clerk’s office from Jan. 5 through Jan. 8 between 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and on Jan. 9 between 7:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Residents with questions about voting or registering to vote are encouraged to contact Town Clerk Janet Murphy at 781-786-5010.