The Swellesley Report

Wellesley’s March 3 election is less than two weeks away, and results of the contested Select Board race will significantly shape the town’s direction on capital spending, housing, and setting priorities.

Beth Sullivan Woods and Tom Ulfelder each seek their fourth three-year terms—Woods has a background in marketing research and strategic planning, while Ulfelder cites his experience as an attorney and in the healthcare industry. Challenging them is Marc Charney, who runs business restoring older homes, serves as Planning Board chair (Charney has told us he’d step down from Planning if elected to the Select Board).

We spoke to all three candidates this week, mainly on background, to confirm facts and get a sense of where the race stands. Last week we ran Select Board candidate introductions and Q&As, and The Wellesley News (the student-run publication at Wellesley College) followed suit this week with candidate profiles of its own.

Most Select Board votes over the past year have been 5-0, though when they’ve gone 3-2, Sullivan Woods and Kenny Largess have been the dissenters from Ulfelder, Chair Marjorie Freiman, and Colette Aufranc (examples in recent months included a vote to spend $75k on a consulting contract for a visioning study—that has since been put off—about the proposed MassBay Community College development and another regarding a traffic impact assessment study related to a proposed Walnut Street development).

Based upon positions Charney has taken while on the Planning Board and articulated during his Select Board campaign, there’s reason to believe a Select Board with him and Sullivan Woods, and without Ulfelder, would result in more 3-2 votes with Freiman and Aufranc in the minority. A likely scenario if Charney and Sullivan Woods were to be on the board would be that Sullivan Woods would ascend to chair, a position that has eluded her during nine years on the Select Board.

The candidates have shared their views and priorities throughout the campaign, which officially began in December when they pulled nomination papers. Though in reality, it started well before that.

Campaign signs have been dotting snow piles throughout the winter. Sometimes all three Select Board candidates signs can be seen in the same vicinity, while solo and double configurations can be spotted in other parts of town.

Candidates at election forums this month have largely kept their focus on past accomplishments and intended goals when sharing their platforms or answering questions about hot topics, such as possible housing development on state-owned land across from the MassBay campus. The formats of these forums, including one hosted by Sustainable Wellesley and another the next night by the League of Women Voters of Wellesley, were not set up to foster debate among candidates.

Ulfelder has touted his board leadership, including during the pandemic, in helping the town come out strong financially. He’s cited forward thinking in partnership with others on the board and from other departments to get ahead of big possible capital expenses down the road in light of rising property taxes. Sullivan Woods has emphasized her attention to the local business community, amplifying residents’ concerns, and striving for a more open town government process. Charney has pointed to his efforts through the Planning Board and RIO Task Force to address residents’ worries about multifamily developments in single-residence neighborhoods, and for a need to take a different approach on the proposed MassBay development. He’s also spoken of a need for more diversity of thought at the Select Board level.

The Charles River Regional Chamber does have an online “Wellesley Select Board Debate” slated for Feb. 27 and focused on economic development, housing, and the environment. That event could elicit more back and forth between the candidates, but is being held just a few days before the actual election. With roughly half of Wellesley voters in recent years having sent in their ballots by mail, it’s possible many will have already voted by the time that debate takes place.

More fiery stuff has surfaced outside of candidate events, as was on display at the Feb. 10 Select Board meeting (see Wellesley Media recording), during which Planning Chair Charney and RIO Task Force Chair Tom Taylor appeared for a discussion about Annual Town Meeting Article 32, on RIO Zoning Bylaw modifications. The Select Board during that meeting, by a 3-2 vote, rejected a motion to add a development agreement requirement to the mix. A reference to “political theatre” was made during discussion, which got tense at times.

Separately, we received a letter to the editor this month signed by eight former Select Board (or then Board of Selectmen) members challenging Charney’s suitability for the Select Board based on permitting violations that were the subject of public hearings in 2022. We considered whether to run the letter, but based on our editorial practice and following legal consultation, we have not. A member of one local planning advocacy group this week took us to task for this decision—and without first talking to us or checking facts—sent an email to the group’s subscribers about it.

The last day to register to vote for the annual town election is Friday Feb. 20 at 5pm.The last day to request a vote by mail ballot for the election is Tuesday Feb. 24 at 5pm.

Polls will be open 7am-8pm on Tuesday March 3. Check the town website for precinct and voting location information.