ABINGTON - May 18, 2026 - Fresh off a special town election where voters approved six out of seven Proposition 2½ override questions, the Abington Select Board immediately pivoted to the town’s long-term financial health. Expressing deep gratitude to the town’s residents for digging into their pockets, officials emphasized that the town must now build a sustainable three-to-five-year roadmap to avoid finding themselves back in the same fiscal predicament over the next several years.
The Full Story
The meeting opened with a comprehensive look back at the special town election held on Saturday, May 16, 2026. The Select Board Chair Paul Bunker announced that ballot questions funding the fire, police, school, public works, library, and Council on Aging departments all successfully passed. The sole ballot question that failed was the funding allocation for the town hall budget.
Town Manager Mike Maresco expressed immense gratitude to the community and local cable access. He noted that while municipal overrides typically see lopsided 80-20 failures, Abington’s success was highly unusual and directly tied to an intensive transparency campaign. Maresco credited Abington CAM and Executive Director Kevin Tocci for producing 30-minute deep-dives and short soundbites that effectively illustrated to residents exactly what services and personnel would be cut without the additional funding. Addressing the single failed question, Maresco reassured town hall employees that the vote was not a reflection of their value, but rather a structural reaction from taxpayers who associate town hall with paying tax and building permit fees.
“[The videos] really resonated with folks... It was fantastic, and it’s really thanks to the Select Board and really thanks to the residents who were willing to dig into their pockets and tax themselves to make sure that we continue to provide top-notch service.” [24:51] — Mike Maresco, Town Manager
