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Election 2026

Wellesley Media goes behind scenes with election workers

March 29, 2026 by admin

Wellesley Media in its latest “Wellesley Perspectives” piece puts its spotlight on Town Clerk KC Kato and the team of workers who helped the March 3 election run smoothly.

Previous Wellesley Perspectives: Police Chief Scott Whittemore reviews 2025, looks ahead to 2026

Filed Under: 2026 Town Election, Government

     

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Wellesley 2026 election results: Incumbents Sullivan Woods, Ulfelder return to Select Board; Panagopoulos, Sullivan to join School Committee

March 3, 2026 by Bob Brown

According to unofficial election results released on Tuesday night, Wellesley Select Board incumbents Beth Sullivan Woods and Tom Ulfelder retained seats for their fourth terms in what was a tense three-candidate race. Contender Marc Charney, seeking to bring a new perspective to a board he said was too set its ways, finished third; he’ll remain chair of the Planning Board.

(Update: Official results)

Sullivan Woods was the top vote getter with 2,624, and won all eight precincts, according to the unofficial results (write-ins and ballots that need to be researched will be added by the end of the week). She was followed by Ulfelder with 1,969 votes and Charney with 1,576.

The incumbents earned new three-year terms on the Select Board, which serves as the town’s chief executive body.

Sullivan Woods in the Select Board race emphasized making sure resident voices are heard on budget and other issues. Ulfelder said his experienced leadership would be valuable as the town faces challenges on the budget, capital spending, and housing and commercial development fronts.

Unlike with the Select Board, none of the four candidates in the only other contested town-wide race—running for two School Committee seats— were incumbents.

The top two vote getters were Costas Panagopoulos with 1,967 and Bob Sullivan with 1,803, both of whom earned three-year seats on the School Committee, which develops and manages school policies, and much more. Panagopoulos led voting in six of 8 precincts, with Sullivan capturing the other two.

Candidates Ayla Lari tallied 1,489 votes and Michael Robert Cave received 703.

Panagopoulos, a PhD, is a political science educator at Northeastern University, while Sullivan has a background in finance and business. And yes, it was a big night for the Sullivan family overall, as Bob Sullivan and Beth Sullivan Woods are siblings.

Overall, 20% of registered voters cast ballots (up from 17% last year).

Among the uncontested races, Mark Kaplan remains town moderator, Odessa Sanchez stays on the Housing Authority board, and Stephen Burtt is back with the Board of Assessors. New office holders include Maria Gallo Ashbrook and Aunoy Banerjee on the Board of Library Trustees, Joseph Schott and Melinda Arias-Voci on the Natural Resources Commission, and Susan Ecklund on the Board of Health.

See the complete unofficial results for all town-wide and Town Meeting seats.

Congrats to all who ran for office as well as everyone who voted and helped to run the town election.


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Filed Under: 2026 Town Election, Education, Government

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Wellesley Media to air town election results on Tuesday night

March 3, 2026 by admin

Wellesley Media, on Comcast 8, Verizon 40, and WellesleyMedia.org, will present a short show on Tuesday, March 3 at 9pm to announce unofficial election results ahead of when the unofficial results make it to the town website later in the night. This announcement on Wellesley Media will be based on machine-tabulated numbers.

The campaigns station people at each precinct right at 8pm, when the polls close, and copy down the results from the tabulator tape when it prints at each precinct. Another 40%-plus of ballots sent by mail, etc., are pre-processed at Town Hall and will be posted somewhere around 8:30pm.
The Town Clerk typically posts unofficial results sometime after 9pm on election day, with write-in, hand counted, and other such ballots reviewed before official results are published.

Filed Under: 2026 Town Election

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Wellesley 2026 Election Guide—Vote Tuesday, March 3rd

March 2, 2026 by Deborah Brown

Wellesley Town HallWellesley votes during the annual town-wide election on Tuesday, March 3rd, 2026.

Below is information about the election.


Swellesley Q&As with the candidates for contested races

Meet the Wellesley Select Board candidates (in ballot order)

  • Marc Charney
  • Beth Sullivan Woods
  • Tom Ulfelder

Meet the Wellesley School Committee candidates (in ballot order)

  • Bob Sullivan
  • Costas Panagopoulos, PhD
  • Ayla Lari
  • Michael Robert Cave, PhD

Plus:

Candidates discuss green initiatives at Sustainable Wellesley event.

League of Women Voters of Wellesley, Meet the Candidates night.

Charles River Chamber, Wellesley Select Board Candidates’ Debate


Other candidates for town office, in ballot order

MODERATOR—vote for ONE for a one-year term

  • Mark G. Kaplan

BOARD OF ASSESSORS—vote for ONE for a three-year term

  • Stephen R. Burtt

BOARD OF HEALTH—vote for ONE for a three-year term

  • Susan E. Ecklund

WELLESLEY HOUSING AUTHORITY—vote for ONE for a four-year term

  • Odessa M.B. Sanchez

WELLESLEY HOUSING AUTHORITY—vote for ONE for a two-year term

  • Janice G. Coduri

LIBRARY TRUSTEES—vote for not more than TWO for three-year terms

  • Maria Gallo Ashbrook
  • Aunoy Banerjee

NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION—vote for not more than TWO for a three-year term

  • Joseph Schott
  • Melinda Arias-Voci

PLANNING BOARD—vote for ONE for a five-year term

  • Edward Chazen

BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS—vote for ONE for a three-year term

  • Jeffery P. Wechsler

BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS—vote for ONE for a two-year term

  • Michael J. McManus

RECREATION COMMISSION—vote for ONE for a three-year term

  • Ansley Martin, Jr.

How to vote in person on Election Day 2026

Election Day is Tuesday, March 3, 2026. Polls will be open 7am-8pm.

Use the Precinct map to find your voting location.  Some precincts vote at the same location.

  • Precincts A & C: Upham Elementary School, 35 Wynnewood Road—NEW LOCATION
  • Precinct B: Sprague Elementary School, 401 School Street
  • Precincts D & E: Warren Building, 90 Washington Street
  • Precincts F & G: Shipley Center, Dana Hall School, 142 Grove Street
  • Precinct H: Tolles Parsons Center, Council on Aging, 500 Washington Street

Specimen ballots for each precinct can be found here.


Voting by Mail

If you requested a Vote by Mail ballot for this election, ballots must be received at Wellesley Town Hall (525 Washington Street) by 8pm on Election Day. So be aware that at this point, it is too late to send in your Vote by Mail ballot via the United States Postal Service.

Vote by Mail ballots may be dropped in the ballot and payment drop box outside Town Hall, or delivered to the Town Clerk’s office by 8pm on Election Day. Do not drop off Vote by Mail ballots at polling locations.

If you received a Vote by Mail ballot but are not able to return it by Election Day,  you may vote in-person on March 3.  Only the first ballot submitted by any voter will be counted.

Note: The last day to request a Vote by Mail ballot was Feb. 24.

About half of Wellesley voters have submitted ballots by mail in each of the past few years.

For all local election questions, contact the Town Clerk’s office. 


Candidates for Town Meeting 2026

Out of Wellesley’s eight precincts, five of them are contested races. Precinct F is the most competitive, with 15 candidates vying for 10 spots.

Candidates running uncontested for Town Meeting include those in Precincts A (11 candidates for 11 spots); C (11 candidates for 12 spots);  and G (10 candidates for 10 spots).

See the list of all Town Meeting candidates here.


After the dust settles

Wellesley’s 2026 Annual Town Meeting will take place in March and April, beginning on Monday, March 30, 2026, 7pm. in the Wellesley High School auditorium at 50 Rice Street. Meetings are expected to continue on March 31, April  6 and 7, and April 13 and 14 (if needed). The public is welcome to attend Town Meeting.

Read the 2026 Annual Town Meeting Warrant


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Filed Under: 2026 Town Election, Government, Politics

Wellesley Kitchen and Home Tour

Wellesley Select Board candidates discuss housing, business & more at Chamber debate

February 27, 2026 by Bob Brown

The Charles River Regional Chamber on Friday morning hosted an online Wellesley Select Board candidate forum just ahead of the town election on Tuesday, March 3. A few dozen people attended the event live; we’ve embedded a recording below.

Candidates Marc Charney, Beth Sullivan Woods, and Tom Ulfelder shared thoughts on everything from the MassBay development plan to commercial tax rates and from economic development and to housing realities.

The debate format was designed to generate more back-and-forth than earlier candidate forums from Sustainable Wellesley and the League of Women Voters of Wellesley.

About half of Wellesley voters typically send in their ballots by mail, so for those you who haven’t done that yet or who plan to vote in person, this forum gives you one last look at the candidates.


Meet the Select Board candidates

Filed Under: 2026 Town Election

Rotary Club, Taste of Wellesley

Wellesley ‘Meet the Candidates Night’ hits on pressing town, school topics

February 20, 2026 by Emma Mullay

candidates forum wellesley
Select Board candidate panel (photo by Emma Mullay)

 
It was a packed auditorium at the Wellesley Free Library on Feb. 12 as 15 candidates for the upcoming local elections discussed everything from ICE to AI in education to the local economy.

Candidates for the contested races, Select Board and School Committee, addressed the school’s growing budget amid dwindling enrollment, the MassBay Forest development proposal and answered an audience question about whether the town would be willing to sign an order preventing ICE from using municipal land, among other things.

(See Wellesley Media recording of the Feb. 12 forum.)

Development

 
Hope Crosier, a Wellesley resident of about 20 years, said she is concerned about development in the community and the speed with which that is happening.

“Development is a big issue,” she said. “How it’s changing the landscape of the town is really so steep and fast that that’s an important topic.” 

All three candidates running for Select Board spoke out against the state’s MassBay Community College development proposal, which has sparked concerns that the nearby forest may be impacted. State officials have indicated the 40-acre forest abutting the 5-acre parking lot at MassBay won’t be built on, but town officials and residents still have plenty of questions for the state about its plans.

“None of us wanted this to happen — ever. We thought the forest was ours forever,” incumbent Beth Sullivan Woods said.

The development, which would be used to add housing units, comes after Gov. Maura Healey signed the Affordable Homes Act in 2024 and allowed for surplus state land to be used for the purpose of adding additional housing. The forest is included in the area determined as surplus. 

“I don’t think that the state should have the right to interfere with how this community decides how we build out our housing stock,” incumbent Tom Ulfelder said. “That property should not be the next target for the state.”

The League of Women Voters hosted the event, Meet the Candidates Night, ahead of the March 3 election. Susan Flicop moderated the conversations, which allowed all candidates, regardless of whether their race was contested, to give an opening and closing statement, as well as answer questions, selected and written by the League of Women Voters, related to their position. There are 11 total races, but only nine had candidates present. The audience was allowed to ask questions of the candidates of the two contested elections as time allowed. 

DEI Audit

 
When Flicop asked the candidates about a DEI equity audit that Town Meeting funded, Marc Charney, the current Planning Board chair who is running for Select Board for the first time, said he would use the results of it as a “governance tool” to inform how they interact, engage and communicate with the community. 

Sullivan Woods answered the question by highlighting the need for a strong community and neighborhoods to ensure that everyone feels engaged. She said she was “struck” by the fact that “only 39% of the community members feel that their voice is important to the government when we make policy decisions.” 

Ulfelder focused more on the employment aspect of DEI in his response, saying he supports “HR policies aimed at creating a diverse and welcoming work environment.”

ICE

 
After the moderated questions, an audience member, who described recently moving to Wellesley from Minneapolis, asked the candidates about their stance on signing an order to prevent Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers from using municipal properties. 

“I do not know whether we can prohibit federal officers from being on municipal land, because it’s public land, but we do everything possible to ensure the safety of every resident and member of this community,” Sullivan Woods said. 

In his response to the audience question, Ulfelder proposed an open meeting with community members and the police department, noting that “that conversation would go a long way” towards reassuring the community while still ensuring that the town is following state and federal regulations. 

Charney said he agreed, describing how he believes “working with our police department, having more dialogue with residents, particularly at this moment in time, would go a long way towards addressing fears and concerns that folks have,” while also acknowledging the limitations that come with state and federal laws. 

Schools

 
Four candidates running for two open seats on the School Committee also spoke at the library event — Bob Sullivan, Michael Robert Cave, Costas Panagopoulos and Ayla Lari. None are incumbents. 

Each of them said it was important to add air conditioning to the schools and prioritize student facing positions—acknowledging how the budget has continued to increase over the past few years while enrollment has fallen. 

“There should be equity across our elementary [schools] and across the school system in terms of the kinds of environments in which student learning occurs,” said Panagopoulos. “I would support policies and efforts that would ensure that we do have that kind of equity and that there are learning environments conducive to improving student learning.” 

An audience member asked the candidates about the growing number of administrators amid lower enrollment. 

The candidates also discussed the role of AI in education, particularly elementary education, and most were worried about how introducing that technology at such a young age could potentially be detrimental in the long run. 

Eight other candidates for uncontested races also spoke, introducing themselves and answering questions about their positions. 

“I want to do my part to understand the candidates,” Crosier said. “It was helpful to see them in person, because you can read a bio, you could read their comments, but actually being here in person and getting to know them a little bit more and how they respond to questions is helpful.”

Kelly McCoulf Norris, who has lived in Wellesley since 2020 and been a member of Town Meeting since 2021, said the schools and education system were also priorities and she was glad to see so much of the town involved with local government. 

“It’s great to have a lot of candidates running for those really two important boards,” she said. “I think that engagement in the town’s activities is really important. It’s one of the most important things for us in government to focus on.” 


  • Meet the School Committee candidates
  • Meet the 2026 Wellesley Select Board candidates

Filed Under: 2026 Town Election, Government

Election 2026

Wellesley Select Board race heads into homestretch

February 18, 2026 by Bob Brown

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.

Filed Under: 2026 Town Election, Government

Wellesley Select Board, School Committee candidates share views on sustainability

February 15, 2026 by Bob Brown

A forum held this past week at the library by the volunteer-run Sustainable Wellesley organization gave Select Board and School Committee candidates a platform for sharing their views on all things green.

Wellesley Media recorded the Conversation with the Candidates event, which lasted about an hour, and that took place the night before the League of Women Voters of Wellesley’s Candidate Night, also at the library.

Select Board candidate Marc Charney, currently the Planning Board chair, cited efforts during his time on the latter board focused on long-term planning that includes environmental and fiscal responsibility. Incumbent Select Board member Beth Sullivan Woods, running for a fourth 3-year term, touted Wellesley’s willingness to be an innovator as well as to recognize changes that might be worth embracing. Incumbent Select Board member Tom Ulfelder, also seeking his fourth term, pointed to concrete actions he’s taking during his time in town government, including negotiating the electrification of the Nines apartments and supporting the electrification of town hall. The candidates also fielded questions about the state’s effort to get housing built on “surplus property” at MassBay Community College and how their votes as public officials have moved the needle on emissions reductions in Wellesley.

Sustainable Wellesley also includes information on its website about where the candidates stand on sustainability topics.

School Committee candidates—Bob Sullivan, Costas Panagopoulos, Ayla Lari, and Michael Robert Cave—also shared their level of commitment to sustainability, and commented on composting during a Q&A session. Sustainable Wellesley also posted answers from candidates to a couple of questions on its website.

During the forum, Cave said there’s an opportunity to influence generations to come on sustainability practices and issues. Lari said her family was into “reduce, reuse and recycle before it was cool,” citing the washing of Ziploc bags for reuse. Panagopoulos highlighted opportunities for the School Committee to be a partner in the town’s efforts to ensure climate justice and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Sullivan said the School Committee needs to be smart about how it prioritizes and spends on its environmental initiatives, and that schools need to “model sustainable behavior for students.”


More: 

  • Meet Wellesley’s Select Board candidates
  • Meet Wellesley’s School Committee candidates

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Filed Under: 2026 Town Election, Environment, Government

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