Monday, May 20, is election day in Hopkinton. Polls are open from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM and the will be held in the Middle School gym at 88 Hayden Rowe Street. In most cases registered voters do not need to show ID to vote.
There is only one contested race in this election and it is for Select Board. There are four candidates vying for two seats; Joseph Clark, Brian Herr, Kyla McSweeney, and Peter Mimmo.
As we wrote about in The 2024 Election will be Unlike any Other, this election is the most consequential recent history. The new Select Board will hire a new Town Manager, new HR Director, and appoint a new Deputy Chief of Police. This Select Board will negotiate a contract to connect Hopkinton to the MWRA, bringing PFAS-free clean water to the town. This Select Board will (hopefully) supervise the completion of the Main Street Project. This Select Board will cut the ribbon on the Elmwood School replacement, and potentially shepherd a $49 million addition to the Hopkins school (depending on Monday’s vote). This Select Board will decide what happens to the Center School and Town Hall, potentially ushering in a new wave of commercial development downtown and reducing the residential tax burden on our town.
Suggested Actions for Voters
- Review the sample ballot
- Watch the candidate debate (below) and read the full recap
- Understand how the money flowed in this election cycle
- Read the profiles on Joe Clark, Bryan Herr, Kyla McSweeney, and Peter Mimmo
- Read Letters to the Editor
- In support of Clark: Garland, Mosher, O’Brien, LaGoy, Wallace, St. Pierre, Condon, Herr
- In support of Herr: Trendel, Bertschmann, Garland, Mosher, O’Brien, LaGoy, Wallace, St. Pierre, Condon, Herr
- In support of McSweeney: See Hopkinton Independent
- In support of Mimmo: See Hopkinton Independent
- Understand how your vote affects the choice for Chair of the Select Board
In addition to candidate selection, there are eight ballot questions voters will weigh in on, and they all have to with the same issue. Proposition 2 ½ refers to a Massachusetts law enacted in 1980 that places strict limits on the amount of property tax revenue a community can raise through real and personal property taxes. This revenue is called the Tax Levy, or just Levy. Proposition 2 ½ limits how much the levy can be increased from year-to-year.
At Town Meeting, voters approved several articles that require the town to borrow money to fund. The town is asking voters to approve a temporary exemption to Proposition 2 ½ so the funds can be raised.Â
Readers are encouraged to learn more about the tax impact of the eight ballot questions in the article Appropriation Committee Paints Dire Financial Picture for 2026 and Beyond.
