Weston Governance Panel Reassigns Committees, Eyes Select Board Size Study

WESTON — July 18, 2024 — Weston's Town Governance Study Committee reshuffled its committee interview assignments and committed to a summer data push on the question of expanding the Select Board from three to five members. Chair Harvey Boshart welcomed new member Michael Pappone at the July 18 meeting and redistributed a portion of Michael Harrity's roughly half-the-list interview load, assigning Pappone to the Recreation Commission, Recreation Master Plan Steering Committee, Zoning Board of Appeals, and Board of Health. Town Moderator Rip Hastings, reporting on his outreach to the Finance Committee, warned that the legislative and electoral path to any Select Board enlargement is long: special legislation must be filed, approved by the state, ratified by Weston voters, and followed by a second election before any change takes effect, with the earliest realistic outcome being spring 2025 at the soonest. The committee agreed the 2022 citizens petition should effectively be restarted rather than revived, with Boshart telling members, "I think it's just cleaner to start over." Boshart and Kara Fleming agreed to expand a comparative-towns spreadsheet Fleming had already built, covering Select Board size, executive structure, population, and budget for communities in Weston's population range, with findings targeted for the next meeting, rescheduled to Wednesday, July 31, at 4 p.m.