Friday evening’s event was hosted by a local group of nonpartisan citizens who want the Select Board’s boss—Hopkinton residents—to be heard by a transparent, accountable, and ethical local government that does what its boss has told it to do.

It was the second year for this event, and attendance was up despite people’s busy calendars at this time of year.

The casual nonpartisan gathering welcomed all Hopkintonians (regardless of party affiliation) and invited them to approach the candidates on a personal level.

For more than two hours, all three candidates interacted with more than 40 residents, many of whom hadn’t decided which two candidates they were voting for. (TODAY, voters will be asked to select two names from the three listed as Select Board candidates: Jeff Doyle, Matt Kizner, and Shahidul Mannan.)

The intention behind Friday’s event was to encourage more residents to get involved in their town government and to let all citizens know that each of them has a voice that should be heard by their Select Board. 

The local group that hosted the event is committed to and advocates for more accountability and transparency in our town’s government. The group considers proactive accountability and true transparency inherently required for any Select Board to be ethically compliant (which is a Massachusetts requirement for any town official). Otherwise, as the group points out, a snowball effect can lead to troubling, corrupt politics; we have to look to our neighbors to the south to see proof of that.

As you may recall, and as this grassroots group has pointed out, the May 2023 contested election for the School Committee was marred by incidents of pseudonyms, newsjacking, and fake news, driven by partisan politics. 

However, in 2024, this meet-and-greet event marked a new chapter for the town. Candidates treated each other respectfully and worked together to make Hopkinton a better place for all, responsive to voters’ demands.

We encourage you to vote for your next Select Board Members (your employees) on Monday, May 19th!

Karen Crum
Hopkinton Grassroots