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Bourne Select Board reelects Melissa Ferretti as chair in 3–2 vote; Amory chosen vice chair, MJ named clerk
Summary
At its May 26 meeting the Bourne Select Board elected Melissa Ferretti chair for another year in a 3–2 roll-call vote, selected Amory as vice chair and appointed MJ as clerk; members debated two-year leadership terms and raised concerns about the vice chair role and open-meeting law risks.
The Bourne Select Board on May 26 elected Melissa Ferretti to another one-year term as chair in a 3–2 roll-call vote, also choosing Amory as vice chair and appointing MJ as clerk.
Ferretti told the board she had "submitted a letter of intent to run for another year as chair" and asked how the board wanted to proceed with voting. Ann Marie moved to nominate Ferretti; Jean seconded. The roll call returned Amory and Jean in favor, Peter and MJ opposed, and Ferretti casting the deciding vote as chair, resulting in a 3–2 approval.
The nomination prompted a substantive discussion about leadership tenure. One select board member said they were "not in favor of chairs having two years," arguing that rotating the role gives more members direct experience of chair responsibilities and helps avoid burnout. Supporters of Ferretti said continuity would help the board address pending priorities such as policy reviews, capital planning and ongoing infrastructure challenges.
The board then nominated and elected Amory as vice chair (motion seconded by Jean). The vote tally for vice chair was Amory yes, Jean yes, Peter yes, MJ no, and Ferretti yes; the motion carried. During that discussion, a member raised a procedural concern that allowing the vice chair to participate in pre-meeting planning with the chair could create the appearance of an open-meeting-law issue if two members confer outside the public meeting; board members agreed to schedule a discussion of the vice-chair role and meeting-process limits on a future agenda.
Jean nominated MJ for clerk with a second from Peter; the nomination was approved unanimously. The board also approved the consent agenda with one item (B) removed at the request of the chair because an appointment date error required a later placement on the agenda.
The board’s reorganization votes were procedural and no changes to policy or budget were enacted. The board flagged several near-term administrative tasks for the coming year, including policy reviews and a retreat to set annual goals.
The board adjourned after handling correspondence and future agenda scheduling.
