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Rye Select Board sets Sept. 8 ballot date for Special Town Meeting; approves Beach Committee appointments, denies Parsons Field request
Summary
The Rye Select Board voted 3–2 to schedule the Special Town Meeting ballot session for Sept. 8, 2026, authorized the warrant preparation, appointed four Beach Committee members (one full member, three alternates) and denied a nonresident group's request to use Parsons Field on Aug. 8 to preserve town event availability.
The Rye Select Board voted 3–2 on May 26 to set the official ballot session for the Special Town Meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, at Rye Elementary School with polling hours from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and authorized preparing and posting the warrant for an earlier informational/first session between July 11 and Aug. 12, dependent on Town Clerk and Moderator availability.
The motion to warrant the Special Town Meeting was made by Vice-Chair Howard Kalet and seconded by Selectman Scott McQuade. Chair Rob Wright, Kalet and McQuade voted in favor; Selectman John Tuttle and Selectwoman Suzanne Barton opposed. Tuttle argued that the logistical burden on election staff—citing advice from the Secretary of State, the Moderator, the Supervisors of the Checklist and the Town Clerk—weighed against holding the ballot vote on the same day as the September primary, while Wright said maximizing turnout was the paramount concern.
The Board also moved on two other agenda items. By unanimous vote the Board appointed Frank Hwang, Nicole Beauchese and Gail Brown as alternates to the Beach Committee and appointed Chuck Latvis as a full member; the motion was made by Vice-Chair Kalet and seconded by Scott McQuade.
Separately, Selectman John Tuttle moved to deny Furry Friends Fund's request to use Parsons Field on Aug. 8, 2026 (12 p.m.–5 p.m.), citing a desire to preserve the field for potential town-sponsored, school or Rye-based community events during the summer; the motion, seconded by Howard Kalet, passed unanimously.
Keriann Roman, speaking for the Supervisors of the Checklist, and Town Moderator Nina Parrott had earlier urged the Board to avoid scheduling the Special Town Meeting on the same day as the primary, citing planning and staffing concerns. The Board asked Town Administrator Matt Scruton to direct the Moderator's communication with the Town Attorney on procedural questions.
Next steps: the Town Administrator was authorized to prepare the warrant and related postings; the first session date will be finalized according to clerk and moderator availability.
