The Town of Wellesley depends on the active participation of its citizens in governance of the Town.

Wellesley will hold a Special Election on Tuesday, Sept. 1, to fill a seat on the Board of Selectmen vacated by a BOS member who moved out of town.

The Board of Selectmen serves as the chief executive board of the Town, and as such, oversees all matters affecting the interest and welfare of the community. The Board exercises the authority vested in the Town not specifically assigned by law to any other board or office.

Three candidates are running for the single open seat. The candidate elected will serve for a term of six months, to expire at the next Annual Town Election on March 2, 2021

The three candidates running are Colette Aufranc, Gwen Baker, and Odessa Sanchez.

We invited each of the three candidates to answer a few questions about their qualifications and priorities for the Town of Wellesley. Colette Aufranc’s Q & A is below. Gwen Baker’s and Odessa Sanchez’s Q & A will appear pending their responses.

The Swellesley Report: What is your background and what qualifies you for this position?

The Board of Selectmen is the Town’s executive body with significant fiduciary responsibilities. By training, I am a Chartered Accountant (the UK equivalent of a CPA) and worked for twelve years as an auditor with PWC in the UK and USA. I am serving my third year on Wellesley’s Audit Committee and am the current chair. I have also been a Town Meeting Member since 2018. Running for election as a Town Meeting Member and seeking an appointment on the Audit Committee were purposeful steps I took in 2018 to gain a better understanding of Wellesley’s town government and its overall global financial picture.

I have volunteered for years in the community with several organizations including, but not limited to, Sprague PTO, Central Council of PTOs, The Teen Center, Sustainable Wellesley and Wellesley High School PTSO. Since 2006, I have acted as a neighborhood advocate in the redevelopment of Linden Square. This engagement was my introduction to Wellesley’s town
government and through this ongoing work I have learned how to make our residents’ voices heard by the various town boards and how to effect change within Wellesley’s complex government structure.

My background in finance, knowledge of Wellesley’s particular financial situation through the Audit Committee, and experience of Wellesley’s town government prepare me well to join the Board. My personal style of engagement is collaborative, polite, persistent and reasonable — something I think we can all appreciate.

SR: The Wellesley business district has faced challenges recently, as evidenced by several empty storefronts. How can the Board of Selectmen and the Town further support existing businesses and encourage new ones to come into Wellesley?

Colette Aufranc: Wellesley’s business community is facing unprecedented challenges. Our town has shown creativity and flexibility in supporting businesses by installing sanitizing stations, helping restaurants utilize outdoor spaces for dining, eliminating parking charges, working with the Community Fund for Wellesley to source meals for our vulnerable population in partnership with our local restaurants, and obtaining a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Transport to establish a “mobile mini parklet” in areas where restaurants do not have easy access to outdoor seating.

[Read more…]

This Wellesley Election 2020 post is sponsored by the Colette Aufranc Campaign — Colette Aufranc, candidate for the Board of Selectmen. Where experience meets trusted leadership.

Early in-person voting that will count for the Sept. 1 election begins in Wellesley on Saturday, August 22 and runs through Friday, August 28 at the Tolles Parsons Center/Council on Aging at 500 Washington Street. Voters are asked to wear masks indoors.

Early In-person voting times:

• Saturday and Sunday 9am to 1pm
• Monday through Thursday 8pm to 4:30pm
• Friday 8am to noon

On the ballot:

• Vote for the Board of Selectmen. Three candidates are running to fill a single recently vacated BOS seat. The candidates are Colette Aufranc, Gwen Baker, and Odessa Sanchez.
• Vote in the State Primary Election

There’s still time to register to vote:

The last day to register to vote in the September 1, 2020 Election is Saturday August 22 by 8pm. Residents may register to vote online at https://www.sec.state.ma.us/OVR/

Voter registration will also be held at Town Hall on Saturday, August 22, 2pm – 4pm or 7pm – 8pm.  As Town Hall is closed to the public for regular business, individuals wishing to register should call 781-431-1019, ext. 2258 when outside the Town Hall entrance that faces the Wellesley Free Library.

More voting information.

At our house, we have received the ballots for the September 1 State Primary election. Here’s what came in our mail:

We are still waiting for mail-in ballots for the September 1st Wellesley Board of Selectmen Special Election. Ballots for the State Primary and the Board of Selectmen Special Election arrive in separate mailings.

Wellesley Town Clerk KC Kato has so far received over 7k mail-in voting ballot requests. That’s a lot to process, especially at a time when the Town Clerk’s office can’t just call on a dozen volunteers to come to Town Hall and help get the job done. If you haven’t received your ballot yet, give it a few more days before calling or emailing the Town Clerk’s office.

You can track your Massachusetts State Primary ballot via Secretary of State Bill Galvin’s website. If you’ve tracked your State Primary ballot and have a pending status, that ballot will be mailed out by the end of this week.

If you receive a ballot in the mail but then decide that you would rather vote in person, you may do so. You just can’t do both.

Here is how to view your ballot for the State Primaries.

Ways to cast your ballot in Wellesley:

VOTE EARLY: In-person Early Voting will be available August 22-28 at the Tolles Parsons Center – Council on Aging at 500 Washington Street.

• Sat., August 22 and Sun., August 23: 9am to 1pm
• Mon., August 24 through Thur., August 27: 8am to 4:30pm
• Fri,, August 28: 8am to noon

MAIL IN YOUR BALLOT VIA USPS

DROP YOUR BALLOT AT BOX OUTSIDE TOWN HALL: If you wish to vote by mail, but do not want your ballot to go into the U.S. mail, you may use the drop box in front of Town Hall.

Mail-in ballot requests may be filed at any time prior to the election, up until Aug. 26 for the September 1 Primary and Local Election and Oct. 28 for the Nov. 3 Presidential election. Here is a vote-by-mail application.

VOTE ABSENTEE: Residents, including college students, who are registered to vote in Wellesley but will be away during the 2020 elections should request an absentee ballot. Download the online absentee ballot application, fill it out and mail it to Town Clerk, Town of Wellesley, 525 Washington Street, Wellesley, MA 02482. Here is an absentee voting application.

Note: All mail-in ballots for the State Primary and the BOS Special Election must be returned by the close of the polls on September 1. In Wellesley, polls are open 7am – 8pm

VOTE IN PERSON AT THE POLLS

How to vote in person

The Wellesley polls will be open on September 1, 7am – 8pm, for in-person voting. Voters who are in line by 8pm will be allowed to vote. All school-based polling locations are moving for the 2020 elections.

The Board of Selectmen voted on August 4, 2020 to locate the polling locations at non-school sites.

• New Polling Locations Map
• Polling Locations Change Evaluation Report
• Precincts A (Bates), B (Sprague) and C (Upham) will vote at the Municipal Light Plant at 4 Municipal Way.
• Precincts D (Schofield) and E (Fiske) will vote at the Warren Building at 90 Washington Street.
• Precinct F (Dana Hall) will vote at the Wellesley Village Congregational Church at 2 Central Street.

There are no changes at the below precincts:

• Precinct G will vote at the Wellesley Free Library at 530 Washington Street.
•  Precinct H will vote at the Tolles Parsons Center – Council on Aging at 500 Washington Street.

Don’t know which precinct you’re in? Here’s how to find out where to vote in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

Wellesley will hold a Special Election on Tuesday, Sept. 1, to fill a seat on the Board of Selectmen vacated by Jack Morgan, who resigned in May because he was moving out of town.

A new member will be elected in September for a term to expire at the next Annual Town Election on March 2, 2021.

In an email to The Swellesley Report, Gwen Baker has announced her candidacy for the seat. Baker says:

I am announcing my candidacy for the open Selectman seat on September 1 st .

I am a 27-year resident of Wellesley. I currently serve on Town Meeting and have served Town Meeting for Precinct A and served on the Celebrations Committee. I love and care about Wellesley.

I bring 25 years of business experience as an owner of an insurance and investment management company, a business based out of Wellesley since its founding 25 years ago that has grown into a national business. My two adult married sons are partners, running day-to- day operations. Prior to that I worked at Community Newspapers all over the western suburbs covering education and other town issues including The Townsman.

I feel like I have been part of the “silent majority” in Wellesley of people working, raising families and often too busy to participate in local government. I would like to engage more Wellesley citizens to share their concerns and thoughts about the town. Many people I spoke to had concerns that were not always reflected in Town Meeting or the in media.

As many others would agree, during the past four months of being “grounded” from COVID, home has become more important than ever. Like many Wellesley working professionals, I traveled all over the country prior to the shutdown. But in the end Wellesley is home and there is no place like home. Driving into Wellesley from Rte. 30 and Weston Road from the airport on many late nights I was always struck by the peace, quiet, tranquility, and beauty of our town with well-kept homes with beautiful lawns, trees and landscaping.

I have traveled extensively for business and I’ve seen how successful entrepreneurs and families have built their assets, spending time in some of the largest cities and visiting our clients in their homes and businesses all over the USA.

Managing a town, the size of Wellesley approximately 28,000 residents of all ages, and a budget of $181,579,453 (FY2021) requires business and life experience that I can bring.

I want to be able to maintain the town’s unique character, beauty and desirability, and sound property values. For most people their home is their most significant financial asset. They want to maintain their homes along with good schools through sound financial management and reasonable taxes.

As a Town Meeting member I observed several issues : the restructuring and renovation of the schools, decision of what to do with the North 40, and more affordable housing in Wellesley.

We have many Seniors in our town and many would like to age in place in Wellesley. We have many parents of school aged children.

Our struggling business district demands attention. Shops, restaurants, commercial office space and all the businesses in between serve both Wellesley and out of town residents. Businesses provide higher tax revenue.

Every constituency and their concerns must all be addressed.