Milford Petitions Seek More Selectmen, Election Date Change

MILFORD, MA — Two citizen petitions have made their way onto Milford's Town Meeting warrant. The twenty-five article warrant was signed by the Board of Selectmen last week. One of the petitions suggests increasing the Board of Selectmen from three members to five and the second petition suggests moving the annual town election from April to November.

The petition to increase the Board of Selectmen was submitted by Town Meeting member Michael Soares, who explained to selectmen why he thought the increase would be beneficial to Milford. Soares cited Milford being the largest community in the state with only three selectmen. He said Milford is the 19th largest town in the state. He said of the 294 total towns in Massachusetts it was almost an even split between boards with three or five selectmen; 148 have a three-member board, while 145 have five members.

Beyond the raw numbers, Soares said the increase in members would bring civility to the election season. "I would much rather see elections that are civil in that manner," he said, "than trying to go after each other and bring another candidate down."

Another benefit the increase could have is more opportunity for a diverse group of people to run. Soares said the increase in members would also help if a member can't attend a meeting or has to recuse himself due to a conflict of interest.

If the petition is approved at Town Meeting the proposal will move onto the ballot for the 2020 election. If it goes further and is approved by voters than two more board members would be elected in the 2021 election- according to Soares proposal one member would have a three-year term and the other would have a two-year term.

Both Selectmen Buckley and Kingkade said they look forward to the Town Meeting debate on the matter.

The second petition was submitted by Town Meeting member Bryan Cole and proposes moving the annual town election from April to November, lining it up with state elections. The goal is to increase voter turnout in the town and save Milford some money in the process.

State elections happen every other year in November. Having one town election that lines up with state elections in November could bring more voters and eliminate the need for two town elections, one in April and another in November.

Milford's Town Meeting is May 20. View the full Town Meeting warrant online.

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