Petition to expand Board of Selectmen to five members will appear on March ballot after heated floor debate

A petitioned Article 15 to increase the Board of Selectmen from three to five members was debated at length at the deliberative session and will appear on the ballot in its petitioned form.

Critics argued the change was an unnecessary enlargement of government and objected to the timing and process used to place the petition on the warrant without a broader, pre-meeting deliberative process. Supporters, including petitioner Brian Rogers, said the measure was intended to ensure broader representation and to address occasional extended absences or vacancies that leave the board effectively short-handed. Rogers said he started the petition after conversations with the town administrator and selectmen and after reviewing governance structures in other New Hampshire towns. “I never voted for our town to be run by two people,” Rogers said, citing concerns about quorum and representation when selectmen are absent.

Town leaders said they would have preferred more collaborative vetting and public discussion but acknowledged state law and petition procedures require the article to be presented; they noted voters will have the final say at the polls.