Town Meeting Rejects Bid to Expand Plainville Select Board to Five Members

PLAINVILLE -- May 21, 2026, Plainville Town Meeting rejected a charter-change petition to expand the Select Board from three to five members, 70 votes against to 28 in favor, well short of the two-thirds supermajority required. The measure, Article 35 of the May 18, 2026 warrant, would have authorized the board to ask the Massachusetts General Court for special legislation amending the Town Charter. A Select Board member who backed the proposal argued that a larger board would bring more voices, broader representation, and reduced risk of any one member dominating deliberations. Opponents cited the town's volunteer crisis, noting seven of 11 recent municipal races were uncontested, the Select Board itself has gone uncontested one-third of the time over the past 12 years, and roughly 25 seats across town boards currently sit vacant. "Adding seats doesn't add leaders," one resident said. "It adds either empty chairs or default candidates."