The Swellesley Report

More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

Wellesley 2019 Town Meeting starts March 25, and other important related dates

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Wellesley Clock Tower, SpringSave the dates for these important upcoming Town government events:

Annual Town Meeting — March 25

Wellesley’s annual Town Meeting begins Monday, March 25, 7pm at the Middle School, 50 Kingsbury Street. The public is invited to attend.

Warrant for upcoming Special Town Meeting to close Mar. 29

The Warrant for the upcoming May 13 Special Town Meeting will close at 5pm, Friday, March 29, 2019.

Any citizens who would like to have an article included in the Warrant must have a petition signed by not less than one hundred (100) registered voters of the Town. Signatures must be verified by the Town Clerk. All articles must be received by the Selectmen’s office by Friday, March 29.

Advisory Committee hearing — April 10

The Advisory Committee will hold a Public Hearing on all Special Town Meeting articles on Wednesday, April 10.

The Advisory Committee has issued a Supplemental Report for the 2019 Annual Town Meeting. The materials reflect new information and/or updates relating to Annual Town Meeting, including votes by the Advisory Committee, which have occurred since the printing of the Advisory Report.  The supplemental report should be read in conjunction with the main Advisory Report.

Special Town Meeting — May 13

The Wellesley Board of Selectmen will convene a Special Town Meeting at the Wellesley Middle School Auditorium, 50 Kingsbury Street, on Monday, May 13, 2019 at 7pm.

The Special Town Meeting is for issues that will not be ready in time for Annual Town Meeting – specifically zoning related issues. As the Board of Selectment does not yet have all of the information on certain zoning issues, the members have decided to wait until the warrant closes on March 29, 2019 to provide specific details on the articles.

The Special Town Meeting will continue on Tuesday, May 14 if two nights are needed for discussion.

Learn more about the major articles:

League of Women Voters of Wellesley Town Meeting Prep Sessions:

  • Thursday March 21, 2019 at the Wellesley High School Library (3rd Floor) from 7pm – 9pm
  • Sunday March 24, 2019 at the Police Station, 485 Washington Street, from 1pm – 3pm

MORE: Our Wellesley Town Meeting resource page

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Wellesley warrant for special Town Meeting to close March 29, 2019

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Wellesley Clock Tower, SpringSave the dates for these important upcoming Town government events:

Warrant for upcoming Special Town Meeting to close on March 29

The Warrant for the upcoming May 13 Special Town Meeting will close at 5pm, Friday, March 29, 2019.

Any citizens who would like to have an article included in the Warrant must have a petition signed by not less than one hundred (100) registered voters of the Town. Signatures must be verified by the Town Clerk. All articles must be received by the Selectmen’s office by Friday, March 29.

Advisory Committee hearing — April 10

The Advisory Committee will hold a Public Hearing on all Special Town Meeting articles on Wednesday, April 10.

The Advisory Committee has issued a Supplemental Report for the 2019 Annual Town Meeting. The materials reflect new information and/or updates relating to Annual Town Meeting, including votes by the Advisory Committee, which have occurred since the printing of the Advisory Report.  The supplemental report should be read in conjunction with the main Advisory Report.

Special Town Meeting — May 13

The Wellesley Board of Selectmen will convene a Special Town Meeting at the Wellesley Middle School Auditorium, 50 Kingsbury Street, on Monday, May 13, 2019 at 7pm.

The Special Town Meeting is for issues that will not be ready in time for Annual Town Meeting – specifically zoning related issues. As the Board of Selectment does not yet have all of the information on certain zoning issues, the members have decided to wait until the warrant closes on March 29, 2019 to provide specific details on the articles.

The Special Town Meeting will continue on Tuesday, May 14 if two nights are needed for discussion.

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Wellesley says good-bye to retiring Town officials

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Now that the dust has settled from Wellesley Town Election 2019, let’s make note of  the retiring Town officials recognized for their distinguished service at the League of Women Voters of Wellesley‘s annual Meet the Candidates night. Here are some pics of the departing luminaries. We wish them well on their next ventures:

Wellesley League of Women Voters
Lloyd Tarlin, M.D., stepped down from the Board of Health. The pediatrician was recognized for his vision and work toward keeping Wellesley residents informed and healthy.
Don McCauley was called “a man for all seasons” as he stepped down as Town Meeting Moderator. A seasoned pro at Town politics, we’ve seen him retire before when in 2015 he stepped down from Advisory. McCauley got pulled back into the life in 2017, but now it looks like he’s he’s leaving for good. “We wish him well and hope that his retirement will also be short-lived,” President of the League of Women Voters of Wellesley Ann Rippy Turtle (left) said.
Paul Criswell was recognized for his service on Board of Public Works, where he worked on projects that included the Fuller Brook Park restoration and the LED lights project. Criswell was lauded as “a model public servant” and a consensus builder with a core set of beliefs that led him to work for the good of the Town.
Michael D’Ortenzio, Jr. was congratulated on his retirement from School Committee, which brought laughs from the crowd, many of whom have known him since he was a 17-year-old Town Meeting member. This year’s youngest retiree plans to take it easy at law school come Fall. It’s not yet known which lucky institution will get the policy wonk with a reputation for his depth of knowledge, attention to detail, and incredible work ethic.
Ellen Gibbs leaves the Board of Selectmen after nine years of service, but not before the Town got every cent of the unpaid volunteer’s money’s worth out of her. Ellen attended five selectmen meetings the week before her retirement. Presenters noted, “We worked her until the last minute.” Gibbs is known for her quiet but strategic approach in projects including the Route 9/Kingsbury Street intersection, the Tolles Parsons Center, and 900 Worcester Street.

Not present: Matthew McKay, who served on Rec since 2014. He was thanked for his work on the 900 Worcester Street Committee, as school department liason, and for his “quiet, cheerful resolve and his affinity for organization and finance.”

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Wellesley’s official townwide and town meeting election results

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wellesley voter

A couple of close races for town-wide offices in Wellesley made for an exciting election day on which 1 in 5 registered voters went to the polls.

Lisa Olney, a veteran of the Wellesley Natural Resources Commission (NR), earned a 3-year-term on the Board of Selectmen. She defeated Jennifer Fallon and replaces Ellen Gibbs.

Raina McManus returns to the NRC for a new 3-year term, as she edged Jim Miller for the seat.

In the closest contest, Patricia Mallett eked out a victory over Thomas Ahern for a 5-year Planning Board seat. Frank Pinto bested Deed Mccollum for the 1-year- Planning Board seat.

In the final contested race, Linda Oliver Grape won over James Rodrigue for a 3-year term on the Board of Health. Rodrigue will take a spot on the Recreation Commission though.

 

Wellesley Public Media ran an excellent live election results show on Tuesday night and at just around 8:30pm began releasing unofficial results.

Below are the official results for both the town-wide and town meeting races.

More Wellesley Election 2019 coverage.

Download (PDF, 24KB)

Download (PDF, 20KB)

 

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Meghan Jop boomerangs back to Wellesley as executive director

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Meghan JopWellesley’s new executive director of general government services hardly needs any introduction: Meghan Jop returns to town to fill that role just 6 months after leaving to take a job in North Andover that’s closer to her home. Jop previously worked for Wellesley for more than 16 years, most recently as assistant executive director.

The announcement comes about a week after the Wellesley Board of Selectmen announced that Executive Director Blythe Robinson was stepping down after a little more than 2 years on the job.

Robinson’s departure marked the latest in a string of high profile departures from Wellesley town government, one of which had been Jop.

Jop officially starts back up on March 18.

Now, about those farewell gifts...

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