Key Takeaways
- Several residents spoke at public forum, advocating for Brian Herr to be elected Chair of the Select Board
- A nomination battle ensued, with Herr receiving two votes and Shahidul Mannan receiving two votes.
- Mary Jo Lafreniere delivered the decisive vote.
On Tuesday night, after yesterday’s convincing win in the annual town election, Select Board members Brian Herr and Joe Clark took their seats on the dais. Vice Chair Shahidul Mannan, sitting in the center chair, presided over the meeting.
As Mannan began to introduce the first order of business on the agenda – to reorganize the board and appoint a Chair and Vice Chair – he was interrupted by Herr.
“Mr. Vice Chair, point of order please,” said Herr. “I would like to move the public forum portion of the meeting to the first agenda item, and follow that with the Select Board reorganization.”
“I think I’m fine with that,” replied Mannan.
Mr. Mannan’s agreement to adjust the order would prove to be fateful.
One by one, residents approached the desk to speak to the Select Board, each advocating for Mr. Herr to be elected Chair.
“Brian Herr brings a wealth of experience, wisdom, and leadership to the board,” said resident Ashley Fogg. “His campaign demonstrated his unmatched qualifications, making him the clear choice for Select Board Chair.”
Resident Kelly Fitzgerald said “I’m a lifelong registered Democrat and registered Independent voter…I’d like to ask the Select Board, and especially Mary Jo, who has the most history with Brian, to elect Brian as our town’s Select Board Chair.”
Others emphasized the “will of the people”, Mr. Herr’s margin of victory in Monday’s election, and his past experience on the board as reasons to support his chairmanship. Mr. Herr is serving his fifth term on the board.
Closing the Public Forum, Mr. Mannan then moved on to the Select Board reorganization agenda item. He outlined the process and then opened the floor for nominations. Immediately Mr. Clark nominated Mr. Herr for the role, receiving a second from Mr. Herr.
Amy Ritterbusch then nominated Mr. Mannan for the role, receiving a second from Mr. Mannan.
Mary Jo Lafreniere watched the proceedings silently from her end of the desk.
Mr. Mannan invited each member to speak on their choice of nominee.
“This is my twenty-second reorganization over the years,” said Herr. “I understand this one is awkward and I feel for everybody in the room…but I think it’s really important we consider the will of the people.”
“We need to allow the town to heal,” said Clark. “[Herr’s nomination] is a huge step in that direction. Addressing the will of the people, making sure they’re heard, that’s going to allow all of us to get back to business.”
Recognizing himself, Mannan spoke about his time joining the board. “When I was elected, I got the highest vote as well, but I didn’t jump into the chair role. I think there are some processes, some procedures that we follow, and respectfully, I want to follow that as well.”
Ms. Ritterbusch spoke in support of Mannan, and cited several of his accomplishments.
As discussed in Choosing the Next Select Board Chair and on yesterday’s episode of The HopTake, with the board tied 2-2, the deciding vote would be cast by Ms. Lafreniere.
“This is a really tough one for me. I’ve worked with both men, both men are honorable, and both men can see the big picture,” said Lafreniere. “But in this case, I do believe that the town needs a quiet-down period, and I would go for Brian Herr.”
Shocked by Lafreniere’s decision to break with her party, the audience erupted in applause.
Ms. Ritterbusch, who sat motionless until the crowd quieted, made a motion to nominate Mr. Herr for the Chair. It was seconded by Mr. Mannan, and the board voted unanimously to approve it.
Typically the Vice Chair would have then said something to the effect of “the motion carries”, but instead Mr. Mannan stared down the desk toward Mr. Herr, watching as the new board chair gathered his papers. Herr then said “Mr. Vice Chair, if we could change seats, I’ll take over from here.”
Although it is customary that the chair sits at the center of the dais, and also to switch seats immediately following the reorganization, Mr. Mannan appeared caught off-guard. “Too much drama, but I guess that’s the norm of the day,” he said, folding his laptop and gathering his belongings.
Herr then assumed control of the meeting.
“Thank you all very much. I appreciate your confidence, and I appreciate the gravity of the situation,” he said. “But it’s time to move ahead. The Chair will entertain a motion for Vice Chair.”
Mr. Clark nominated Mary Jo Lafreniere as Vice Chair. Ms. Ritterbusch nominated Mr. Mannan. With Mr. Herr’s support, Ms. Lafreniere was elected to the role, in what is very likely her final year on the board.
Excellent choice, Hopkinton SB; recognizing Brian – with over 20 years’ SB experience – as the wise choice to lead Hopkinton over the next 12 months. The choice of chair is not a partisan issue; it’s a personnel issue. Thank you, MaryJo; Shahidul can wait another year and seek the chair next time. Good luck, Brian!
MG, retired dispatcher, HPD
Upton BoS, 2008-11
^Three previous terms on the SB; not 20 years. My error.
Very refreshing to watch a meeting be run so efficiently. Good job Mr. Herr, and congratulations to you and Joe Clark!
I believe in liberal values and believe the Democratic party has done the lion-share of work for real equality in America in the last 60 years, which is why I have generally supported them in elections during my lifetime. But one party rule leads to problems, the type of problems we’ve seen locally over the last few years. What has been most disheartening over the last two years is the real lack of acknowledgement, accountability, and corrective action when the HDTC was made aware of very serious breaches of public trust by their own members and elected representatives. This town, which skews very Democratic, is seeing the results of this breach of trust with the results of this election. I really don’t think we’re moving into a calming down period. I think think we’re looking at period of turmoil and transition as the voters look to make the corrective actions we expected party leadership to take. I would not be surprised to see a lot more contested down ballot races in our future now that a crack in the wall is apparent. And I hope that leads to better governing as we need balance to get accountability and good outcomes. But I pray we learn how to have a higher level of discourse while we work through these issues. More nuance and thought and less rhetoric and blind emotion.
Thank you, Brian Herr. Last night, we witnessed a masterclass in standing one’s ground, handling oneself with class, and getting on with our town’s business. Bravo!
Thanks also to Mary-Jo LaFreniere. You made a difficult choice, and in the end, you put the good of our town above all else. It was the right thing to do, and I applaud you.
Mr. Herr took immediate control, no nonsense. Time to get to work. There’s a new sheriff in town…..
Mobacracy wins again. Wonder what the mob will do when they find out that the new Chair and the “son of Hopkinton” have to play by the same rules the previous members did? Are they going to show up & shout at them every meeting?
Obviously you have no interest in the town uniting only in fanning flames because you didn’t get the result you wanted. The town has spoken loudly and clearly. Once again it’s called democracy.
The public comment section is crucial for community members to share their concerns and aspirations, and for select board members to gauge the town’s sentiment.
I fully anticipate that if the newest select board members neglect their duty to advocate for the town, community members will attend meetings to express their discontent. This accountability is a fundamental aspect of being a select board member.
The “shouting” you describe was caused by the select board members persistently disregarding the will of the people, which in turn deeply harmed the community by prioritizing their own interests over those of the town.
Don’t presume to know who I voted for. What I am talking about is how p’od people are going to be when they discover that the new SB has the same constraints on them when it comes be personnel matters especially when it involve unions
Hasn’t Brian Herr already served 3 times? Pretty sure he’s well versed on the rules
At least they didn’t do it with the help of dirty tactics like slander thru anonymous names as the HDTC is known for.
I would not call this a mobocracy. I think the “will of the people” was to head to the polls in VERY large numbers to vote in Brian and Joe by a large margin. And Brian for chair makes sense considering his 4 prior terms and the recall activities against the others. As a former democrat/current independent I was disenchanted with the HDC due to the “Hayes scandal” as this level of deception should have no home here. I’m not surprised to see the current wave of leaders fleeing the Hopkinton Democratic committee.
I like this new setup with Brian and MaryJo. Centered balance is good for the town.
I hope the DTC can redeem itself in the eyes of many in this town.
Actually, the town just voted to end mob rule. One political party and group had unilateral control of the select board and achieved that by some bullying and duplicitous means. Now there’s a diversity of thought and balance on the board and you don’t like it……..why? The town is better off for it. Hopefully, peace and decorum return to these meetings.
So why would you ever imply that Joe Clark wouldn’t play by the rules? I haven’t seen a hint of that. What I’ve seen is professionalism, passion for the work, and maturity.
That isn’t what I wrote, you might want to take a closer look.
Let’s not forget that until 2018 or so the Republicans controlled most of the Boards and got voted out because they did not listen. The same is happening now on the other side. What has always worked well for Hopkinton is when candidates of independent thought like Brian, Joe and over the last few months Mary Jo has come around also. Sadly the former Board spent too much time on causes and less time on running the time. The one very good thing is Hopkinton still has Elaine Lazarus who is the unsung hero of the behind the scenes working of the Town.
Kelly Foster, what is it that you did mean?
As an observer, and meaning no ill will, I can’t help but comment about an observation I made of Mr. Mannan’s ungentlemanly gaslighting of Mr. Herr’s post-election ascension to that of Chair. Mr. Mannan, while removing himself from his seated position, (as the heir apparent, so to speak), repeated “drama, drama, drama”. I wondered if he ever congratulated his colleague.
For what ever reason Mass. elects a person who wears blue. No due diligence on the policies, plans for growth or fixing issues. When you dumb down that much, results will be like what we are seeing today, protests instead of pursuit of knowledge, using our taxes on people who just landed and didn’t spent a second working in this country.. where this will lead ? Prosperity and greatness? Nope, it will take us straight back to being 3rd or 4th world country.