Weston Alternative Voting Exploratory Committee

This is a fact finding Committee to follow up on recommendations made by the Select Board's Town Meeting Advisory Committee to do the following:

  • Explore the remote online voting and split debate/voting approaches in more detail, including their potential effects on the Town (including its sense of community) and on Town Meeting (including participation levels) if they were permitted by state law, 
  • Explore the steps that would be necessary for state law to be changed to allow either or both of these alternative approaches, along with the level of support for these changes elsewhere, and
  • Recommend a process that would put the Town as a whole in a position to discuss and possibly adopt these alternative approaches to the extent permitted by state law (or to pursue changes in state law if the Town desires).
The Committee is jointly appointed by the Select Board and the Moderator, and consist of up to six members at large.  The Moderator, Select Board and Town Manager are available as resources to the Committee.

Membership


Harvey Boshart
Lori Hess
John McDonald

Michael McGrath
Zachary Sadek
Russell Souza

Selectmen's Town Meeting Advisory Committee

This committee (STMAC) was charged with reviewing improvements to Town Meeting attendance and procedure. One of the recommendations of this committee was to create the Weston Alternative Voting Exploratory Committee. Other recommendations that have been implemented:
  • Citizens' Petitions guidelines 
  • using Consent Agendas (bundle articles for a single vote) on the Town Meeting Warrant
  • starting Town Meeting at 7:00 p.m.
  • limiting formal presentation times (due to article information being available prior to Town Meeting)
  • adopting Town Meeting Time to govern the conduct of Town Meeting