More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.
The Wellesley Democratic Town Committee will hold its monthly meeting on Tues., January 7, 7pm, at the Wellesley Community Center at 219 Washington St. The speaker is to be announced.
7pm Social Hour
7:30pm Business Meeting
8pm Presentation
From the Wellesley Town Clerk’s office:
The Town Clerk’s office will begin accepting absentee ballot applications on January 1, 2020.
Residents, including college students, who are registered to vote in Wellesley but will be away during the 2020 elections should request an absentee ballot and make your vote count.
Stop by the Town Clerk’s office at Town Hall to pick up an application. If you aren’t yet registered to vote, you may register at the same time.
Or download the online absentee ballot application, fill it out and mail it to Town Clerk, Town of Wellesley, 525 Washington Street, Wellesley, MA 02482.
Regular office hours are 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Please note: the Clerk’s office will close at noon on December 24 and December 31 and be closed all day on December 25 and January 1.
Election events scheduled in 2020 include:
There will be a Special Town Meeting prep session in advance of the December Special Town Meeting.
This session should be useful for any Wellesley resident to learn about town-wide issues. The meeting is also a good opportunity for anyone thinking of running for town-wide office or as a Town Meeting Member to learn about the high-priority items expected to be presented at Town Meeting.
Special Town Meeting Prep session: Sunday, December 8, 1 – 3 pm at Great Hall at Town Hall.
Special Town Meeting will be held at the Wellesley Middle School Auditorium on Monday, Dec. 9, at 7 p.m.
Are you considering becoming a candidate for Town office? Now’s the time to get organized for the March 2020 Town Election.
A presentation on how to run for local public office will be held Wed., December 4, 7:30pm – 9pm at the Warren Building, Room 008, 90 Washington St. The League of Women Voters Wellesley will sponsor the evening to discuss how Wellesley’s town government works, what offices will be on the ballot in March 2020, and the nuts and bolts of running a campaign. Town Clerk KC Kato and Town Moderator Mark Kaplan will be the featured speakers. Light refreshments will be served.
The Wellesley Board of Selectmen holds monthly office hours at which time residents are invited to come by to discuss issues, ask questions and voice concerns about Town-related topics.
The next office hours will be held on Thursday, November 21, 10am – to 11:30am in the Great Hall at Town Hall, 525 Washington St.
No appointments are necessary; drop-ins are welcome.
The Board of Selectmen will convene a Special Town Meeting (STM) on Monday, December 9 and Tuesday, December 10, 2019 to discuss possibly choosing a Moderator, the Hunnewell School building project and the Council on Aging governance.
The Special Town Meeting will be held in the Wellesley Middle School Auditorium, 50 Kingsbury St., at 7pm.
The list of issues (called articles) to be discussed by Town Meeting representatives is known as the Warrant.
Article 1 states: “To see if the Town will vote to choose a Moderator to preside over said meeting and to receive reports of town officers, boards and committees, including the Report of the Advisory Committee; or to take any other action in relation thereto.”
Article 2 states: “To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, transfer from available funds, or borrow a sum of money, to be expended under the direction of the Permanent Building Committee, for architectural and engineering designs, plans and other specifications, bid documents, permitting, and any associated costs related to the reconstruction or replacement of the Hunnewell School located at 28 Cameron Street, and for any other services in connection therewith and, for the purpose of meeting such appropriation, to authorize the Town Treasurer, with the approval of the Board of Selectmen, to borrow said sum in accordance with Chapter 44, Section 7(7) of the Massachusetts General Laws, or any other enabling authority and ti issue bonds or note of the Town therefor, and that any premium received by the Town upon the sale of any bonds or notes approved by this vote, less any such premium applied to the payment of the costs of the issuance of such bonds or notes, may be applied to the payment of costs approved by this vote in accordance with Chapter 44, Section 20 of the Massachusetts General Laws, thereby reducing the amount to be borrowed to pay such costs by a like amount, or to take any other action in relation thereto.
Article 3 states: Town Meeting is being petitioned to authorize the Moderator to appoint and facilitate a Committee to evaluate the governance at the COA, including the treatment of the COA employees by the COA Board, and to report back to Town Meeting with the Committee’s recommendations for governance of the COS going forward. The COA Director will report to the Executive Director of General Government Services until the Committee makes its recommendations and further action is taken by Town Meeting.
When the Town serves a warrant, by law a physical copy of the warrant must be displayed in at least two conspicuous places in town at least 14 days before the meeting is held. My go-to spot to check out the document has always been the bulletin board in Wellesley Square near the post office.
I asked Communications and Project Manager Stephanie Hawkinson for the lowdown. She told me, “At STM in May, Town Meeting members voted to change the posting location from the bulletin board to the bulletin board in front of the Clerk’s office and at the Wellesley Police Dept. As the bulletin board had been damaged and defaced after so many years outside, I think DPW took it down.”
So there we go. The STM warrant has been posted according to the process. Copies of the warrant are also available in the Selectmen’s Office.
A public hearing on the Special Town Meeting articles is planned for Wednesday, November 6 at 6:30pm during the Advisory Committee meeting. Residents are invited to attend to ask questions and share their thoughts.
Wellesley Board of Selectmen in April 2019 held a public forum to begin consideration of a request from the World of Wellesley (WOW) organization to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day in town. At the meeting, the public had the opportunity to speak about the WOW request. BOS Chairman Jack Morgan at that time said that the role of the BOS at the meeting would be as listeners, and that no immediate decision would be made as a direct result of this one meeting.
At this time, the BOS says that the question of whether to abolish Columbus Day and instead observe Indigenous Peoples Day should not be decided by an elected Board of five, but should be put to the largest elected body in Wellesley, Town Meeting.
Stay tuned for further upcoming public discussions. The next annual Town Meeting is scheduled for March 30, 2020.
The Wellesley Board of Selectmen will hold office hours at Town Hall on Thursday, October 24, 1oam – 11:30am, in Conference Room G (3rd floor).
Residents are invited to come by to discuss issues, ask questions and voice concerns about Town-related topics.
No appointments are necessary; drop-ins are welcome.
The Board of Public Works (BPW) is seeking residents who would like to fill an upcoming vacancy.
Long-time member David Donohue is moving to Needham and will resign from the three-person board at the end of October.
Donohue chairs the BPW and has also served on the Wellesley Municipal Light Plant (WMLP) Board. His current term ends in 2021.
Residents who would like to be considered for this open seat should email the Department of Public Works, expressing their interest in volunteering and including a short bio.
Emails will be accepted until Thursday, October 31, 2019.
The remaining BPW members will recommend a nominee from the interested candidates, who will be appointed during a joint meeting and vote with the Board of Selectmen (BOS) in November.
The appointee will serve until the Town general elections in March 2020, and at that time may choose to run for an elected one-year term.
Information on the DPW and the WMLP is available on the Town of Wellesley website.
The always-popular League of Women Voters (LMV) Meet-Up will take place on Thursday, October 17, 7pm at the Wellesley High School cafeteria. Come talk to your elected officials and find out what’s happening in town.
The LWV Wellesley has heard from residents who feel that there are not enough opportunities to discuss issues with their elected officials. Attendance at scheduled board meetings and Town Meetings is seen by many as an opportunity for statements rather than discussion, requiring a certain amount of preparation and courage. Additionally, we’ve observed that Citizen Speak and resident participation at board meetings is handled differently across the boards.
Come meet members of the Board of Selectmen, School Committee, Library Board of Trustees, Natural Resources Commission, Planning Board, Board of Public Works, Board of Health, Town Moderator, and more. This event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
WHEN: Thursday, October 17, 2019 , 7pm
WHERE: Wellesley High School cafeteria, 50 Rice Street
CONTACT: Ann-Mara Lanza, Vice President, Program Planning and Development
7817108555
[email protected]
State Representative Alice Hanlon Peisch will hold office hours in Wellesley on Monday, September 16, 2019 at the following time and location:
Constituents may visit Representative Peisch or a member of her staff at their convenience during the designated hours on a first come, first served basis. No appointment is necessary. Any constituent who wishes to speak to Representative Peisch but is unable to attend the office hours may make an appointment for a more convenient time by calling 617-722-2070 or emailing [email protected]. Anyone seeking general legislative information may find it at Representative Peisch’s website at www.alicepeisch.org.
Alice H. Peisch represents Wellesley, Weston, and Precinct 4 in Wayland.
Members of the Wellesley Board of Selectmen will be holding the final of three spring office hours at Town Hall for residents to drop in to discuss town-related issues. Some of the board of five elected officials will be available to discuss residents’ concerns.
Tuesday, June 4, 9am to 11am in Conference Room G in the Selectmen’s office (third floor)
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.
