Tewksbury Special Town Meeting Results: All Articles Pass

TEWKSBURY, MA — Tewksbury voters approved the full slate of warrant articles at the special town meeting Tuesday, mostly on unanimous votes.

The only article provoking significant debate was the final one, a citizen-petitioned article to change the term for Planning Board seats from five years to three, matching other town elected offices.

The article was opposed by multiple current and former Planning Board members, who argued that the article would have unintended consequences and that the five-year terms are necessary due to the position's learning curve.

Current Board Chair Stephen Johnson went through statistics showing mostly communities smaller than Tewksbury have three-year Planning Board Terms.

But supporters including petitioner Paige Impink argued that having the seats up for election more often would encourage more residents to get involved.

The article was adopted 125 to 40.

Most other articles were passed unanimously.

Articles 12 to 14, which took steps toward renaming the Board of Selectmen the Select Board, had near-unanimous support. The first two articles were voice votes, but the third required a standing vote for procedural reasons; only one voter stood against the renaming.

The gender-neutral board renaming will also require state approval, which has been consistently granted to other communities.

Voters also approved the creation of a no-solicitation registry, with an amendment upping the fine for violating it from $300 to $1,000.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.