Westwood Makes Town Election Vote Official, Forges Ahead on Hanlon-Deerfield Elementary School Project

The Town of Westwood has removed “Unofficial” from the title of its chart that summarizes the outcome of the October 26, 2021 Special Town Election Results. The voting tabulation appears not to have changed.

At Select Board’s brief meeting on Wednesday, October 27, 2021, Town Clerk Dottie Powers reported on the election results. A majority "yes" vote was needed in order to allow funding for the new Hanlon-Deerfield elementary school to be collected by property taxes in excess of the limit set by Proposition 2 1/2.

That majority was achieved, reported Ms. Powers. She stated that out of a total of 2,483 voters, 1815 voted in favor, 667 voted against, and 1 ballot was blank. Stated differently, 73 percent of voters were in favor of the debt exclusion override to fund the new school. Twenty-seven percent were against it.

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Image from Town of Westwood website

Select Board followed the Town Clerk’s report by unanimously voting to execute the project funding agreement with MSBA for reimbursement of up to $18.2 million in project costs.

Town Counsel Pat Ahearn indicated that the paperwork could be ready to go out to MSBA that same day.

Select Board Clerk John Hickey thanked School Committee Chair Maya Plotkin and Superintendent Emily Parks for their leadership on the project.

Select Board Member Robert Gotti agreed, noting that the project was undertaken in the “right way” with a thoroughness that made it “easy to get people on board.”

The next Select Board Meeting will be Monday, November 15, 2021 at 6 p.m. via Zoom.

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For background and issues behind the voting, click on this article, below:

- FinCom Approves Article for Borrowing $84.6 million for New Hanlon School Building Project (Updated 9/23/2021)