Kenny Largess was voted in as a first-time Select Board member in March. The Swellesley Report reached out to him after that to propose doing monthly updates on what it’s like becoming a Select Board member, with the idea of giving others who might be inclined to serve in public office a better sense of what such a commitment entails.
Wellesley Annual Town Meeting spanned six nights spread across the first half of April, with the budget, housing, school AC, and tennis/pickleball among the topics that garnered the most attention and discussion. For new Select Board member Kenny Largess, whose formal role was limited at the legislative body’s sessions to presenting Article 6 (Town Clerk salary adjustment), taking it all in left him gave him an expanded view of many topics the Board will be dealing with in the weeks and months ahead.
RIOs
“The citizens’ petition regarding Residential Incentive Overlays (RIOs) was likely the most controversial Article at Town Meeting—and one I fully supported,” Largess said. “Although the petition received 61% of the vote, it fell short of the two-thirds majority required for approval. The strong level of support, however, signals significant interest in reform.”
(See also: “Wellesley Annual Town Meeting night #6: RIO motion sparks lively housing debate, falls short of votes”).
The Planning Board even before Town Meeting had begun started the process of forming a RIO Task Force. That body will be tasked with reviewing the RIO zoning bylaw and, as a group make recommendations to the Planning Board for zoning bylaw changes to be brought before the next Annual Town Meeting in 2026.
Largess will be right in on the action: He’s the Select Board’s liaison to the task force.
Rethinking the budget
On the second night of Annual Town Meeting, the body took up a motion to split the $94M school budget (more if you include shared services) from the entire omnibus budget. Town Meeting voted down the motion (67 yes-141 no-1 abstain), but this likely won’t be the last we hear of this idea, especially if Wellesley winds up facing an override or debt exclusion vote in the near future.
Largess didn’t support making such a significant change as splitting out the school budget “without proper analysis, but I do believe Wellesley should review the omnibus approach.” As he notes, “Town Meeting members [currently] must vote to approve or reject the entire budget as a single package. In practice, rejecting the budget is highly unlikely, as it would leave the Town without funding.”
“Taking the budget in smaller parts could allow for a more targeted review of individual budgets without risking a shutdown of the entire town government, leading to a more thoughtful and robust conversation,” Largess said.
Seniors and sports
Largess was supportive of Town Meeting’s vote to raise the income eligibility cap for the Senior Property Tax Deferral Program from $50,000 to $103,000 and index the cap to inflation going forward. The aim is to give more seniors on fixed incomes the ability to defer property taxes and remain in their homes.
“The Select Board opposed automatic indexing by a 1-4 vote (me being the 1). I believe it is important to give future Boards the flexibility to offer continued tax relief to seniors as costs rise. The amended Article passed with strong Town Meeting support, and participation in the program is expected to grow,” Largess said.
One of the highlights of Town Meeting for Largess was seeing Kourosh Farboodmanesh — a junior at Wellesley High School (and key contributor to Largess’s Select Board campaign)—propose an amendment to the Hunnewell courts article on night #4 that was approved. “Kourosh
presented his case thoughtfully and persuasively, and it was inspiring to watch his amendment ultimately pass with the support of Town Meeting,” Largess said.
A loooong meeting
Not that the town didn’t get a lot done during Town Meeting, but it took a long time. Each of six sessions clocked in at three-plus hours, plus individual town bodies met in advance of these sessions to prep.
Largess would like to see Wellesley explore ways to make Town Meeting more efficient. He pointed to Needham Town Meeting sessions that took about half as much time.
“The length of Town Meeting could discourage participation in Town government, especially for residents with young children,” he said.
One way to speed things up would be to move more items onto the consent agenda. He also recommends limiting discussion time on articles that are very likely to pass by large margins, he said, pointing to the “Skip the Stuff” article on night #5 that passed by a 155-16 margin. The presentation and discussion combined lasted for about half an hour.
Largess said the amount of time he spent doing Select Board duties across the three weeks of Town Meeting “was considerable”—probably a total of 40 hours. Subsequent weeks have been quieter, maybe 5 hours a week (this included school vacation week).
Non-Town Meeting highlights:
- “I recently had the opportunity to meet with the Friends of Wellesley Council on Aging. During my visit, I toured the Tolles Parsons Center, and spent time with Wellesley seniors and the dedicated staff. It was a pleasure to connect with members of our senior community and hear firsthand about the issues that matter most to them.
- I held my first Select Board office hours recently and set aside 90 minutes to meet with residents and hear what was on their minds. I really enjoyed the chance to connect with people one-on-one, and I am looking forward to doing it again soon.
More: Wellesley first-time Select Board member Kenny Largess jumps right into it (April 15)
