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Caroline Regan appointed to Town of Westborough planning board after 5–3 vote
Summary
After interviewing three candidates for a one-year vacancy, the Town of Westborough planning board and select board appointed Caroline Regan by a 5–3 vote following deliberations about experience and board overlap. Boards also continued a site plan, accepted a conveyance plan, and dissolved a master-plan committee.
The Town of Westborough appointed Caroline Regan to fill a one-year vacancy on its planning board after a joint meeting of the planning board and select board and a contested vote.
During candidate interviews, Regan described herself as a six-year Westborough resident with two young children and said she wanted to get involved to "support the town however I can." Elizabeth Arnold, who serves as deputy chief compliance officer for the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services, emphasized her regulatory and compliance background and told the boards she supervises a compliance program covering 12 state agencies. Justin Lundberg highlighted long experience on the town's Zoning Board of Appeals and Conservation Commission and said his permitting and site-development work would allow him to "hit the ground running" for a short-term appointment.
Board members repeatedly said the near-term downtown redevelopment project and an upcoming rotary decision made the vacancy particularly consequential. Planning board members noted that the appointment is for roughly 10 months and expressed differing priorities: some favored bringing new people into town boards, while others argued the planning board would benefit from a member with immediate, practical permitting experience. One member said they were "leaning more towards Elizabeth" because of her policy and analytical background; another emphasized that Justin's local, procedural knowledge could be helpful for imminent decisions.
The nominating process produced two formal motions. Planning Board Chair Hazel Nurse moved to appoint Elizabeth Arnold; that motion was seconded and put to a show-of-hands but was defeated on the initial vote. A subsequent motion to appoint Caroline Regan was made, seconded, and after a requested revote the chair announced the motion passed with a majority (final announced tally 5–3). The chairs instructed Regan to contact town staff (Jenny) about the swearing-in and next steps.
In addition to the appointment, the planning board continued a site-plan hearing for 220 Turnpike Road to the June 3 meeting, accepted an A&R plan related to a town conveyance at 93 Bowman Street and waived filing fees for that plan, and voted to dissolve the Master Plan Implementation Committee while seeking ways to keep master-plan goals visible to the public. Planning staff announced a public meeting on the downtown project for June 11 at 6 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Forbes Municipal Building; outreach will include flyers, yard signs, a Community Advocate ad and Westborough TV recording of the presentation.
The planning board and select board indicated appreciation for all three applicants and encouraged those not appointed to consider running in the next election or joining town committees. The planning board adjourned after completing the night's business.
