May 12th Town Election: What & Who is on the Ballot

Above: I’m making it easier for Southborough voters’ to learn about their choices on the ballot this spring — Select Board candidates and Ballot Questions. (images edited from video and sample ballot)

The Annual Town Election takes place a week from today. Here’s an overview of what you need to know to prepare to vote..

Candidates

There is only one contested race on this year’s ballot. Three candidates are running for two seats on the Select Board:

• Marguerite Landry (incumbent) — Candidate’s Statement
• Andrew Pfaff (challenger) — Candidate’s Statement
• Sam Stivers (challenger) — Candidate’s Statement

(You can also pull up all of the Candidate’s Statements here.)

You can watch what they had to say when they faced the public at Candidates Night last week here or in the embedded video below:

 
For the full ballot with all of the candidates, click here. For info on uncontested candidates who will be taking on new roles, click here.

Ballot Questions

The ballot will also ask voters to pass four proposition 2½ debt exclusions (not overrides). The votes would allow future debt payments on borrowing for specific projects to be exempt from the cap on raising the tax levy.

Those exemption questions are for:

1. Replacing Neary School’s roof 
   • Exemption on the $4.5M borrowing to replace Neary’s failing roof
   • Borrowing approved by March Town Meeting voters
   • This is the one project on the ballot that should move forward even if the vote fails. Given the dire condition of the roof — officials purposely didn’t hinge this borrowing on a debt exemption vote. But if the vote fails, it will create a fiscal problem for the Town with no clearly stated answer of how officials would deal with it.
2. Replacing Trottier Middle School’s roof (borrowing approved by Annual Town Meeting voters) 
   • Exemption on the $5.4M borrowing for Southborough’s share of replacing Trottier’s failing roof
   • Borrowing approved by Annual Town Meeting voters, contingent on this ballot vote passing.
3. Implementing the Town’s Road Improvement Plan 
   • Exemption on the $22.26M borrowing for engineering and roadwork to improve Town roads. The project is based on a five year road plan that will be updated annually.
   • Borrowing approved by Annual Town Meeting voters, contingent on this ballot vote passing
4. Installing Sidewalks 
   • Exemption on the $2.75M borrowing for construction of 4 stretches of sidewalks within the next year (on Parkerville Road, Richard’s Road, Woodland Road, and Oak Hill Road).
   • Borrowing approved by Annual Town Meeting voters, contingent on this ballot vote passing.

Before voting, some property owners may be concerned about the tax impacts. All of the above projects were included in Town officials’ projections for FY27 tax increases presented to Annual Town Meeting voters. You can read about that here.

Voting

The polls will be open for the Annual Town Election on Tuesday May 12th from 6:30 am to 8:00 pm. As usual, all three precincts will vote in the Trottier Middle School’s Gym at 49 Parkerville Road.

Today is the last day to apply for a vote-by-mail ballot. (But voters also have until noon on Monday, May 11th to request an absentee ballot. So you can contact the Town Clerk to learn about that option.)

For voters who received but have yet to return your mail-in ballot, make sure to get it in by the end of voting.¹:

• If you’re mailing the ballot from afar, be sure to post it soon.
• If you’re in town, you can also drop it in person well before 8:00 pm next Tuesday:
  • Drop it directly in the Town Clerk’s election Ballot Drop Box at the Town House, 17 Common Street. (See image right.)
  • DO NOT use the Town’s other drop-box for other documents. 
  • And DO NOT bring your mail-in ballot to Trottier on Tuesday. (If you decide to vote in person instead, just leave the mail-in ballot at home.)

Whatever method you use to vote, you will need to identify your precinct. You can find that info on the Town Clerk’s site here. (And there are always helpers at Trottier on election day.)

If you have any questions, please reach out directly to the Town Clerk’s office at 508-485-0710, ext. 3005.

1. Unlike in statewide elections, Towns aren’t given leeway to count Town election ballots postmarked by election day and received later.