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The Full Story

Turnout for the 2026 Annual Town Election was sparse but highly decisive, with only 1,347 of the town’s 12,238 registered voters casting ballots, representing an 11% turnout rate. Unofficial results were announced by Town Clerk Dawn Varley at 5:08 p.m., shortly after the polls closed.

The most critical outcomes of the night centered around the two major fiscal ballot questions. Question 1 asked residents to approve a debt exclusion to cover Whitman’s share of the new South Shore Vocational Technical High School building project. While the regional school infrastructure expansion had already seen authorization across all nine member towns at their respective town meetings, Whitman voters flatly blocked the local funding mechanism, with 618 voting “YES” and 711 voting “NO”. Without a dedicated debt exclusion, Whitman’s proportional capital obligation must now be absorbed within the town’s existing legal tax limits.

Voters delivered an even more definitive rejection to Question 2, a proposed Proposition 2 1/2 operational override designed to permanently boost municipal revenues to resolve ongoing structural deficits. The override failed by a wide margin, drawing just 425 “YES” votes against 899 “NO” votes. It had already failed at Town Meeting.

In the high-stakes race for two three-year terms on the Select Board, residents opted for a clear change in leadership. Former School Committee member Dawn Byers topped the ticket with 888 votes, followed closely by newcomer Christina Menten-Gorman at 712 votes. Incumbent Select Board member Laura Howe finished third with 574 votes, falling short of securing a second term. The election transitions town leadership as well following the retirement of long-time Select Board Chair Carl Kowalski, who chose not to run again.

In other municipal races, stability returned to the regional school infrastructure. For the open seats on the Whitman-Hanson Regional School Committee, Christopher Marks secured 910 votes and Steven D. Bois earned 888 votes to win the two three-year terms.

Incumbent Michael Seele safely won another term as Town Moderator with 995 votes, while Debra ÓBroin captured the Town Treasurer/Collector position with 1,021 votes. Brittany Cavallo won the Assessor’s seat with 994 votes. In the Department of Public Works Commissioners race, former Water Superintendent Dennis Smith (955 votes) and Incumbent Kenneth Lailer (909 votes) won the two open slots, while Patricia Eunice (982 votes) and Sylvia Bubbins (941 votes) secured terms as Public Library Trustees. Theresa Lynskey won a five-year term on the Whitman Housing Authority with 980 votes. For the Planning Board, Heidi Hosmer (937 votes) and Jeffrey Sargis (918 votes) locked down terms. Pulling double duty for the town, Town Clerk Dawn Varley picked up 948 votes to easily secure a three-year seat on the Board of Health.

Official Minutes & Data

Key Ballot Votes & Outcomes

• Question 1 (SS Votech Building Debt Exclusion): Failed — 618 YES / 711 NO / 18 Blanks

• Question 2 (Proposition 2 1/2 Operational Override): Failed — 425 YES / 899 NO / 23 Blanks

• Select Board Race (Top Two Elected): Dawn Marie Byers (888 votes), Christina M. Gorman (712 votes), Laura L. Howe (574 votes)

• Whitman-Hanson Regional School Committee (Top Two Elected): Christopher Michael Marks (910 votes), Steven D. Bois (888 votes)

• Department of Public Works Commissioner (Top Two Elected): Dennis F. Smith (955 votes), Kenneth J. Lailer (909 votes)

• Public Library Trustee (Top Two Elected): Patricia J. Eunice (982 votes), Sylvia S. Bubbins (941 votes)

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Inclusive Excellence: Hanson Middle School Unified Sports

The meeting began with a presentation from Hanson Middle School students and staff regarding the new Unified Sports Program.

• Program Growth: Started this winter with a historic Unified basketball team that held scrimmages at pep rallies and high school halftimes.

• New Horizons: The school has expanded into Unified Cornhole, with a tournament scheduled for May 21st in West Bridgewater.

• Impact: Students described the program as a way to break down barriers through “playing together, friendship, and understanding”.

The Athletics “Crisis”: 30 Years of Fundraising

Athletic Director Bob Rodgers delivered a stark report on the state of the district’s 27 sports programs.

• Funding Gaps: Following a $250,000 budget cut, the department is attempting to run all sports on a $100,000 annual budget, which Rodgers called “not sustainable”.

• Equipment & Uniforms: Rodgers revealed that the school district has not purchased a single athletic uniform in nearly 30 years; all gear is paid for through student fundraising.

• Participation Trends: Student-athlete numbers have dipped to 503 this year, down from 531 two years ago. High user fees ($375 for the first sport) are cited as a significant barrier for families.

• Privatization Concerns: Committee member Rosemary Hill expressed alarm that sports have essentially been “privatized,” placing an undue tax on parents.

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The Full Story

The 2026 Whitman Annual Town Meeting opened with a somber list of deceased town employees and a celebration of long-serving officials, but the atmosphere quickly shifted to the “financial black hole” described by Finance Committee Vice Chair Kathleen Ottina [00:48:38].

The central conflict of the night revolved around Article 2, Line 21: the assessment for non-mandated school busing. The Finance Committee and Select Board had initially recommended a $0 appropriation for this line, arguing that Whitman was paying more than its fair share of transportation costs under the regional agreement with Hanson. FinCom members suggested that by voting it down, the School Committee should be forced to absorb the cost into their operating budget or renegotiate with Hanson [48:37].

However, Whitman-Hanson Regional School Committee Chair Ryan Tressel and Interim Superintendent Dr. John Marcus warned that a $0 vote was a “dangerous game of chicken” [01:36:23]. Tressel noted that Hanson had already passed its budget, and any change now would require Hanson to reopen its town meeting—a move they were unlikely to make. Dr. Marcus warned that if the school budget failed, he would have no choice but to begin laying off an additional 30 to 40 staff members as early as the following morning [01:09:25].

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The Full Story

The meeting opened with a public comment from resident Dawn Byers, who urged the committee to look beyond a simple one-time paving deal with a solar developer seeking access through district land [00:57]. Byers suggested the district leverage its access to negotiate a long-term revenue-sharing agreement or a STEM partnership for students. “This could be a philosophy... a partnership within the community and long-term revenue sharing,” Byers said, suggesting any annual revenue could be funneled directly into robotics or science programs [04:20].

“If this is in fact something that is going to be discussed... what is exactly being built? It sounds appealing on the surface, but I ask you to pause and ask questions... it’s not a small favor of the district giving this solar company access; it’s called leverage.” [01:38] — Dawn Byers, Resident

This set the stage for the night’s main event: the fate of the Fiscal Year 2027 capital request for parking lot paving. Interim Superintendent Dr. John Marcus recommended passing over the article for both the upcoming Whitman and Hanson town meetings [16:01]. Marcus cited a “mismatch” in timing between the two towns—noting that Hanson had not placed the item on its spring warrant—and the potential for the solar company to eventually foot the bill for at least a portion of the work [34:02].

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The Full Story

The focus of Thursday’s meeting was the public interviews and final selection of a new Assistant Town Administrator (ATA). The position is critical to Whitman’s operations, as the town lacks dedicated directors for HR, finance, or planning, meaning these responsibilities flow directly through the Select Board and the Town Administrator’s office [48:50].

The board interviewed three finalists: Sabrina Chilcott, an experienced municipal official from Pembroke; Matthew Dyer, a regional planner and former selectman in neighboring Hanson; and Daniel Kelly, Whitman’s current Health Agent.

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The Full Story

The meeting opened on a somber yet celebratory note, as the board recognized the immense public service legacy of Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski [09:34]. Kowalski’s tenure in Whitman public service began on the Whitman School Committee in 1984 and transitioned to the Whitman-Hanson School Committee following regionalization. He has served continuously on the Select Board since his election in 2002. State Representative Alyson Sullivan-Almeida (delivered by Katherine Mullen), State Senator Michael Brady, and Congressman Stephen Lynch (delivered by resident Richard Rosen) were among those who provided citations, marking his 40-year career of “unwavering devotion” and “fierce advocacy” for the town [10:53, 12:52].

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The Full Story

The meeting opened with a somber tone as the committee held moments of silence for Elaine Newcomb, a paraprofessional at Duval, and John Noone, a former Whitman School Committee member and Whitman Finance Committee member. However, the atmosphere quickly shifted to the pressing financial realities of the FY27 budget.

Whitman Select Board member Shawn Kain addressed the committee during public comment, emphasizing the town’s goal to avoid a tax override. Kain noted that Whitman had “bumped up” the budget for the school assessment to the number certified by the School Committee, 4.85%, while cutting $500,000 from other town departments to share the burden. He specifically mentioned “non-mandated busing” as a critical area for potential cost savings, calling transportation a “hot button issue” for the town’s financial leadership. [06:42]

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The Full Story

The path to the $500,000 figure was anything but linear. During a marathon joint session with the Finance Committee on Tuesday night, Town Administrator Mary Beth Carter presented what she termed a “creative approach” to fiscal year 2027. The objective was clear: keep the Whitman Public Library open without a dedicated override, a response to public comment at a Finance Committee meeting and a weekend deluge of over 50 emails from residents pleading for the facility’s survival.

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The Full Story

The meeting opened with a poignant moment of silence for Darian Hall, a member of the class of 2019 who passed away earlier this month. [00:31] The somber tone quickly transitioned into a celebration of the arts as students from the Music Honor Society took center stage to mark “Music in Our Schools Month.” [03:02]

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The Full Story

The meeting was dominated by a sobering presentation from Town Administrator Mary Beth Carter, who detailed the town’s precarious financial position. [43:07] Carter presented several scenarios to close a gap of several hundred thousand dollars, including a $450,000 public safety override, a $475,364 library override, or a “million-dollar override” that would theoretically stabilize the town for two fiscal years and cover a $212,000 snow and ice deficit. [43:51], [52:16]

Member Shawn Kain argued for the “smallest override possible,” arguing that public safety must remain the town’s top priority. [01:23:41] Kain proposed that the override be focused on the library, meaning that if voters reject the measure at the ballot box, the library would be slated for closure to balance the books. [01:53:43]

“If I have to have this terrible choice between public safety and the library, then I choose the library,” Kain stated, adding that police and fire services should be “as insulated as possible” from budgetary concerns. [58:24]

However, Chair Carl Kowalski warned of the long-term consequences of such a move. [01:02:43] Citing a report on library decertification, Kowalski noted that closing the library would result in the loss of state aid (approximately $47,000 last year) and would likely lead neighboring towns to strip Whitman residents of borrowing privileges. [01:03:08], [01:03:23] “We lose everything if we decertify,” Kowalski said. [01:04:13]

Member Justin Evans pushed for a larger $916,000 override—approaching $1 million—designed to make the school district whole, cover the snow and ice deficit, and stabilize the town for the next two fiscal years. Unlike the majority of the board, Evans argued that public safety positions, spared after last year’s override was rejected, should be the focal point. He emphasized that the board must be willing to follow through with cuts if voters reject the funding.

“We’re not getting out of this hole in the next five years... It probably makes sense to consider a million covering us for next year and not hitting our one-time money as much.” [1:07:51] — Justin Evans, Select Board

The board also heard from Ryan Tressel, Chair of the Whitman-Hanson Regional School Committee, who noted the schools have already cut nearly $2 million and nine positions from their upcoming budget. [01:27], [02:15] Tressel urged the board not to balance the budget “on the backs of children” by cutting both school services and the library. [04:29]

In other business, Tom Hickey, Superintendent of South Shore Vocational Technical High School, provided a project update. [06:12] He announced that the “shovel will go in the ground” this June for the new school building, which is slated to open for the 2028-29 school year. [06:48], [07:32] Hickey also discussed a proposed regional agreement amendment to bring Pembroke into the district, which he estimated could reduce Whitman’s debt share for the building project by approximately 10%. [13:37]

The board also addressed local business matters, granting a Class 2 auto dealer license to CTS Auto LLC for 470 Temple Street, following an executive session with the applicant. [17:15], [24:03] Additionally, the board voted to terminate a Marijuana Host Community Agreement with Soulflower Inc. due to the project’s failure to commence operations. [38:47], [40:09]

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Why It Matters

The proposed $475,000 override is estimated to cost the average Whitman homeowner (with a home assessed at $516,000) approximately $96 per year. [01:11:56], [01:56:54] If the override fails, the town faces the prospect of closing its public library, losing all state library grants, and risking reciprocal borrowing agreements with neighboring communities. [01:03:08] The board’s decision reflects a broader struggle among South Shore towns to fund escalating fixed costs, such as healthcare and retirement obligations, within the limits of Proposition 2½. [01:22:56]

Official Minutes & Data

Key Motions & Votes

• Motion: To grant a Class 2 auto dealer license to CTS Auto LLC at 470 Temple Street. [21:20]

  • Vote: 4-1 (Kain opposed) ([01:24:03])

• Motion: To terminate the Host Community Agreement with Soulflower Inc. based on the expiration of the agreement. [39:40]

  • Vote: Unanimous ([40:09])

• Motion: To propose a “small” override focused on funding the library, with the understanding that the library will close if the override fails. [01:53:43]

  • Vote: 3-2 (Kowalski and Evans opposed) ([01:54:03])

Public Comment

• Ryan Tressel (School Committee Chair): Advocated for the library and school budget, noting the district’s recent sacrifices. [01:27]

• John Galvin (Resident): Suggested using $500,000 from the town’s $3.5 million General Stabilization fund to avoid an override, arguing the town has healthy reserves. [01:16:23]

What’s Next

The Select Board will meet again on April 7, 2026, to finalize the Town Meeting warrant and the specific language and final dollar amount for the override article. [42:35], [01:54:16]

Disclosure: South Shore News founder Justin Evans is a current member of the Whitman Select Board.

Source Video: Whitman Government TV

Robert Emmet Hayes, a fourth-generation Whitman resident who would go on to become a Selectman and State Representative, grew up in that house with ten other family members sharing a single bathroom. Like many properties in Whitman, the Hayes family’s backyard was a perpetual sinkhole. Whitman was cursed with a naturally high groundwater table and poor soils, making traditional on-site septic systems highly prone to failure.

For nearly two centuries, the town relied on these localized disposal systems, a model that became increasingly unsustainable as Whitman evolved into a dense manufacturing center, particularly for the shoe industry. Raw sewage and industrial waste inevitably leached into the aquifers and the Shumatuscacant River, creating a severe environmental and public health hazard.

This is the story of how a small Massachusetts town tackled an impossible geographic hurdle, fought off the federal government, made a massive infrastructure gamble in the 1980s, and recently confronted the catastrophic consequences of that system’s aging backbone.

Editors note: South Shore News is going paid in April, subscribe now to make sure you don’t miss a story. Reach out for group or organizational pricing.

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The Federal Catalyst and the Brockton Connection

The political momentum for a town-wide sewer system didn’t happen in a vacuum. It was forced by the passage of the federal Clean Water Act of 1972, which stripped municipalities of their discretion regarding wastewater treatment and mandated stringent new standards. For a small town like Whitman, building a standalone treatment plant was completely beyond its borrowing capacity.

The town was desperate. Early attempts to build a system stalled when Whitman couldn’t secure federal approval for regional partnerships with neighboring towns like East Bridgewater and Abington. The delays became so severe that the federal government actually sued Whitman for failing to follow through on its septic plans.

Hayes, then a young Selectman, traveled to federal court to testify on the town’s behalf. “Look, we’re happy to do it if you would allow us to do it, but we can’t do it unless you approve it,” he argued, successfully getting the case dismissed.

Salvation came from next door. The neighboring City of Brockton had just received a massive $55 million grant to construct an advanced tertiary treatment plant. Leveraging his political influence, Hayes helped negotiate a landmark 1983 Inter-Municipal Agreement (IMA) with Brockton, securing 1 million gallons of daily capacity for Whitman. Whitman would essentially become a “wholesale” customer of Brockton’s treatment services, bypassing the need to ever build or permit its own plant.

The 1984 Mega-Project

What makes Whitman’s sewer story unique is the sheer audacity of its construction phase. Unlike most Massachusetts towns that suffered through decades of politically fraught, neighborhood-by-neighborhood sewer expansion battles, Whitman built its system as a single, large-scale project.

Designed by Camp Dresser & McKee Inc., the massive undertaking was executed under three simultaneous contracts in 1984. Contract No. 1 established the system’s heartbeat: the Auburn Street Pump Station and the South Avenue Pump Station. Contracts No. 2 and No. 3 tackled the most difficult engineering feat: laying three miles (approximately 16,000 linear feet) of 20-inch, cement-lined ductile iron force main to connect Whitman to Brockton.

The route was treacherous. The pipe traversed Auburn Street, plunged into cross-country easements, crossed streams and wetlands, and pushed through both a junkyard and a capped landfill before terminating at Southfield Drive in Brockton.

Financially, the timing was perfect. The EPA’s Construction Grants Program was at the height of its generosity. Between federal and state matching funds, Whitman secured up to 90 percent coverage for the main parts of the project, saving the town an enormous amount of money. The remaining local share was funded by an enterprise fund and betterments assessed to the properties benefiting from the new lines. Local leaders strategically engineered the plans to ensure the entire town would eventually be promised sewer access to secure voter approval.

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The Ticking Time Bomb in the Soil

For three decades, the system hummed along, efficiently transporting an average of 800,000 gallons of wastewater a day. But buried deep beneath the earth, a silent threat was eating away at Whitman’s lifeline.

On September 13, 2016, the town faced its worst infrastructure nightmare: the 20-inch force main suffered a catastrophic blowout near Alger Street in Brockton. Because there was no backup pipe, the town had to scramble. Emergency crews set up temporary pumps at the Auburn Street station, filling 9,000-gallon tanker trucks and driving them continuously to the Brockton plant just to keep toilets flushing across town.

A year later, on October 4, 2017, it happened again in the exact same vicinity.

Whitman hired Environmental Partners Group to find out why the pipe was failing. Engineers dispatched a drilling rig to take 80 soil samples along the three-mile route. The results were shocking. While they initially suspected internal rot from hydrogen sulfide sewer gas, ultrasonic testing proved the inside of the pipe was fine. The real culprit was external. The ductile iron pipe had been laid in highly acidic soils and was being actively destroyed by escaping landfill leachate and aggressive moisture from the outside in.

The $10 Million Fix

In 2019, Environmental Partners delivered a sobering verdict: the entire 16,000-foot pipeline needed to be replaced.

Replacing three miles of large-diameter pipe is a monumental financial burden for a town of 15,000 residents. The project became the single largest item in the town’s Capital Improvement Plan, with costs ballooning from an initial $6 million estimate to a $12 million borrowing authorization.

To pay for it without crushing taxpayers, town officials utilized a layered funding strategy. They secured a loan from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF). In a twist of historical poetry, the CWSRF program—which provides low-interest infrastructure loans—was actually created in 1989 by the “Hayes Bill,” authored by none other than Whitman’s Robert Emmet Hayes after his election to the State House.

They also deployed $2.2 million in federal pandemic recovery (ARPA) funds earmarked by Plymouth County, an additional $1.8 million in CWSRF loan forgiveness also funded by ARPA, and implemented a $1.50 rate increase per billing period for sewer users.

In March 2022, contractor C. Naughton Corp. mobilized to replace the vulnerable ductile iron with modern, corrosion-resistant High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and PVC pipe. The project plan required extensive logistical maneuvering, including a highly complex directional drill beneath Beaver Brook. The town also employed an “open once” philosophy, efficiently replacing aging water mains along Auburn Street while the road was already torn up for the sewer work.

Thanks to a paving grant and careful management, the massive force main replacement came in under budget at approximately $10.7 million, freeing up leftover funds to support a new DPW building.

Between the CWSRF loan around 2%, some lucky breaks in construction bidding and costs, and over $4 million in loan forgiveness and ARPA project this critical infrastructure replacement was completed at minimal cost to ratepayers. By the summer of 2024, the town was wrapping up compliance for the completed project.

A Legacy Underground

Today, Whitman’s wastewater flows uninterrupted once again. The town continues to modernize, upgrading pump stations with variable-frequency drives, installing hydrogen sulfide control systems, and digitizing its archaic index-card tracking system.

Infrastructure is easy to ignore until it breaks. But the story of how Whitman got its sewer—and how it mobilized to save it forty years later—is a testament to civic foresight. From a young selectman testifying in federal court to cure the town’s sinkhole backyards, to modern administrators patching together multi-million dollar grants to replace a decaying pipeline, Whitman’s history proves that the most important investments a community makes are often the ones you can’t see.

Sources include: WHCA interviews, UMass Boston, the Whitman-Hanson Express, the Town of Whitman, some actual human reporting, and AI Deep research tools.

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The Full Story

The meeting began on a somber note with a moment of silence for Federico Cafardo, a dedicated teacher at Hanson Middle School for 35 years, and Tim Ewell, the husband of Whitman Middle School art teacher Rebecca Ewell. [00:14] However, the atmosphere quickly shifted to a celebratory one as students from Duval Elementary School’s “Dolphin TV” took over the podium. The students presented a lively update on their “Decades Assemblies” and a collaborative “Community Card Project” funded by a Mass Cultural Council grant. [01:59]

The primary focus of the evening was the formalization of the FY27 budget and the resulting assessments for the member towns. Interim Business Director Matt Wells and Interim Superintendent Dr. John Marcus presented the final figures, which included a $228,000 gap closure achieved through the strategic use of revolving accounts rather than further personnel or program cuts. [01:16:35]

“This is the budget that we’re comfortable with. This is as far as I’m willing to go. I’m not getting rid of anything else. We can’t afford to do anything less than what we’ve presented.” [01:18:20] — Interim Superintendent John Marcus

The most discussed portion of the meeting centered on “Step 6” of the assessment formula: the separation of non-mandated busing. Under the current assessment method, these costs—which include transportation for students living within two miles of their school—are split roughly 80/20, with Whitman bearing the larger share based on mileage and ridership. [01:30:28]

Committee member Rosemary Hill and representatives from the Whitman Select Board, including Shawn Kain and Justin Evans, raised concerns that this method deviates from the original 1992 regional agreement and unfairly burdens Whitman taxpayers. Kain argued that non-mandated busing should be rolled into the general operating budget, which would utilize a 60/40 split. [01:46:41] Conversely, member Beth Stafford and Vice Chair TJ Roffey argued for maintaining the separation to allow towns to vote specifically on whether they wish to continue funding non-mandated transportation at town meetings. [01:32:42]

In other business, the committee unanimously approved a 20-year net metering credit purchase agreement with New Leaf Energy. This initiative is projected to save the district approximately $85,500 in its first year by purchasing solar energy credits, with no up-front financial burden to the schools. [01:56:41]

Finally, the committee approved the 2026-2027 academic calendar. Students are scheduled to return to classrooms on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, following two professional development days for staff on August 31 and September 1. [02:02:13]

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Why It Matters

The approval of these assessments sets the number that Whitman and Hanson taxpayers will see on their town meeting warrants this spring. The debate over busing highlights a long-standing tension in regionalization: whether to treat the district as a single, unified entity or to maintain town-specific accounting for services like transportation. For parents, the approved school calendar provides essential dates for the upcoming year, while the New Leaf Energy deal represents a proactive effort by the district to find non-educational savings to offset rising operational costs.

Official Minutes & Data

Key Motions & Votes

• Motion: To set the WHRSD FY27 Budget at $66,758,178. [01:42:49]

  • Vote: 8-1-1 (Hill abstained, Roffey voted No) [01:56:11]

• Motion: To approve the Town of Hanson operating assessment of $16,551,342. [01:43:56]

  • Vote: 8-1-1 [01:56:11]

• Motion: To approve the Town of Whitman operating assessment of $20,883,763. [01:44:23]

  • Vote: 8-1-1 [01:56:11]

• Motion: To enter into the net metering credit purchase agreement with New Leaf Energy. [01:59:35]

  • Vote: Unanimous [02:01:14]

• Motion: To approve the 2026-2027 Academic School Calendar. [02:03:45]

  • Vote: Unanimous [02:04:53]

Public Comment

There was no introductory public comment. However, Whitman Select Board members Shawn Kain and Justin Evans participated extensively in the discussion regarding the transportation assessment method and the interpretation of the regional agreement. [01:46:41]

What’s Next

• Hanson Finance Committee Meeting: March 24, 2024, to review the budget presentation. [02:03:42]

• Town Meetings: The approved assessments will now proceed to the respective town meetings in Whitman and Hanson for voter approval.

Disclosure: South Shore News founder Justin Evans is a current member of the Whitman Select Board.

Source Video: Whitman-Hanson Educational Channel

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The Full Story

The primary focus of Tuesday’s meeting was a looming fiscal crisis. Town Administrator Mary Beth Carter reported that while new growth from three major development projects is expected to bring in approximately $425,000, and health insurance rates were “kept” to a 10% increase, a deficit of roughly $500,000 remains. [47:31] Carter noted that the town has exhausted one-time funds used to backfill the budget in previous years. [01:04:12]

The board found itself sharply divided on how to bridge the gap. Select Board member Laura Howe proposed a policy of attrition, suggesting the town should not fill the Assistant Town Administrator position following the upcoming retirement of Kathy Keefe, nor replace retiring DPW Superintendent Bruce Martin. [51:24] Howe argued that saving these salaries and benefits—potentially over $200,000—could prevent layoffs in the police and fire departments. [50:48]

This suggestion met with strong resistance from other board members and staff. Shawn Kain argued that the town’s management is already “extremely lean” compared to neighboring communities and that leaving the administrator’s office understaffed invited financial disaster. [01:11:53]

“We are one mistake away from being on the front page of the paper... if that office doesn’t perform, then all of us, all departments, the people of Whitman struggle.” [01:01:27] — Shawn Kain, Select Board

Retiring Assistant Town Administrator Kathy Keefe also defended the role, warning that the office manages a massive workload that includes grants, procurement, and HR for every department. [01:09:53]

“The direct impact of not supporting the town administrator by eliminating or reducing the funding of this line will undoubtedly undermine the ability to execute the functions of this office... it may seem to be pennywise but it will certainly prove to be pound foolish.” [01:11:01] — Kathy Keefe, Assistant Town Administrator

The debate extended to the library and public safety. Kain suggested that if forced to choose between “terrible options,” cutting the library budget might be less harmful to public safety, though he acknowledged it would be a “horrible thing.” [01:02:43] Conversely, Justin Evans argued that the voters had already overwhelmingly rejected a general government override, a subsequent Town Meeting funded public safety positions with one time money, and that the board should consider a targeted “public safety override” to let residents decide if they want to maintain current police and fire staffing levels. [01:03:43]

WMS Project and South Shore Votech Financing Beyond the operating budget, the board took major steps regarding capital projects. Ben Oglesby of UniBank Fiscal Advisory presented the results of a $30 million bond sale and $31 million in bond anticipation notes for the Whitman Middle School project. [10:09] The town secured a competitive 3.91% interest rate, a success attributed to the town’s strong AA3 credit rating and its decision to handle the borrowing directly rather than through the regional school district. [11:56]

The board also voted to place a debt exclusion question on the May 16th town election ballot. [01:00:31] If approved, this would allow the town to fund its share of a new high school for the South Shore Regional Vocational Technical School District.

Public Comment and Transparency The meeting also featured a debate over a new formal Public Comment Policy. [29:11] While intended to provide clear rules for residents to speak at meetings, resident Mary Fox criticized the policy as “too strict,” arguing it concentrated too much power in the chair. [33:26] The board defended the policy as a necessary legal safeguard required by recent court decisions, though board members assured residents they would continue to allow open dialogue. [35:43]

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Why It Matters

For the average Whitman resident with a home valued at $516,000, a $500,000 override would cost approximately $97 per year, or about $25 per quarter. [01:05:16] Without an override, the town faces the loss of multiple positions across public safety, the DPW, the library, or central administration, which could lead to slower emergency response times, reduced library hours, or a decrease in the town’s ability to secure state and federal grants.

Official Minutes & Data

Key Motions & Votes

• Motion: To approve the sale of $28,535,000 in general obligation bonds for the Whitman Middle School project. [21:52]

  • Vote: Unanimous ([28:19])

• Motion: To adopt the formal Select Board Public Comment Policy as written. [31:48]

  • Vote: Unanimous ([36:50])

• Motion: To refer zoning bylaw amendments to the Planning Board and Bylaw Study Committee. [37:00]

  • Vote: Unanimous ([39:11])

• Motion: To place the South Shore Votech debt exclusion question on the May 16, 2026, election ballot. [01:00:31]

  • Vote: Unanimous ([01:01:41])

• Motion: To authorize the Town Administrator to advertise the Assistant Town Administrator position. [01:20:27]

  • Vote: Unanimous ([01:25:17])

Public Comment

• Fire Chief Tim Clancy: Thanked the Fire, Police, and DPW departments for their “heroic” work during a historic storm two weeks prior. [02:12]

• John Galvin: Announced a “March Madness Squares Pool” fundraiser for the Whitman Aid to the Elderly and Disabled Taxation Fund. [03:10]

• Mary Fox: Expressed concern that the new public comment policy was restrictive and disrespectful to residents’ rights to speak freely. [33:07]

What’s Next

• March 24, 2026: The Select Board will meet to review finalized budget data, including the school district assessment and motor vehicle excise revenue, to make a final decision on an override. [48:20]

Disclosure: South Shore News founder Justin Evans is a current member of the Whitman Select Board.

Source Video: Whitman Government TV

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The Full Story

Town Administrator Mary Beth Carter presented a sobering update on t…

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