Weston governance panel sets research plan on Select Board expansion

WESTON -- August 7, 2024, Weston's Town Governance Study Committee outlined a research and outreach plan for a possible Select Board expansion from three to five members. Meeting with a quorum of four, Chair Harvey Boshart, Town Moderator Rip Hastings, and members Michael Pappone and John Thompson, the committee agreed to divide peer towns among members for structured interviews, with Boshart and Hastings building a comparative database and Pappone and Thompson drafting a standardized questionnaire. Sharon was highlighted as a key case study, having rejected then approved a three-to-five transition in consecutive town meetings before holding an expanded-board election this spring. The committee set September 5 and September 19 as its next meetings and is targeting October for at least one public session ahead of Weston's December 3 Annual Town Meeting, when a warrant article on the board's size could come to a vote. Boshart flagged a central concern driving the entire inquiry: "If we can't find people willing to do the service, going to five is going to create problems for us."