It’s time to talk about vacancies in our town government again. Volunteering for a Town committee is a great way to participate in our community.
There are several openings right now. I’m highlighting two that I think are of great importance. (And if you scroll down, I’m also sharing all the other vacancies in town.)
Zoning Board of Appeals is seeking a new alternate. The ZBA is a critical board in town, responsible for ruling on controversial zoning appeals.
(Your neighbor is inspired by Tree House Masters but you don’t want his loft looking down in your yard? This is the board that makes the call. Not to mention their overseeing of 40B projects.)
ZBA Alternates are often called upon to vote, whether due to scheduling issues or a member’s need to recuse himself.
And when a full time member steps down, the board looks to an experienced Alternate to fill the spot. (Which is why there’s a vacancy. Andrew Dennington just moved up to fill the full time spot vacated when Lisa Capello moved out of town.)
Another board in town has become increasingly important, but lacks a quorum to act – the Municipal Technology Committee.
Many residents and committees have pushed for improving the Town’s transparency and ease of access to records and resources. On Candidate’s Night, Desiree Aselbekian pointed out that the committee responsible lacks the quorum to act.
Currently, the MTC has only one voting member. The other two members are Town employees who live out of town. (By a measure voted in at Town Meeting, non-residents can only act as advisors and don’t count towards a quorum.)
If those positions don’t suit you, there are many more to choose from. Several other committees currently have vacancies:
- Affordable Housing Trust Fund Committee
- American with Disabilities Act Committee
- Conservation Commission
- Community Preservation Committee
- Fence Viewer
- Field Driver
- Historical Commission
- Metropolitan Area Planning Council
- Open Space Preservation Commission
- Phase II Stormwater Committee
- Registrar of Voters
- Southborough Scholarship Advisory Committee
- Southborough Stewardship Committee
- Youth Commission
And if nothing here fits the bill, there are sure to be even more opportunities at the end of June. That’s when many terms will end. Some members will seek re-appointment, but there are always some who step down.
For more details on the above vacancies, see the Town website.
For a volunteer form, click here. (Residents can either specify the board(s) they are interested in, or leave it up to the Town to decide where they would be most useful.)
