Whately Voters Reject Appointed Town Clerk 36-27 at Annual Town Meeting

WHATELY -- June 2, 2026, Whately voters rejected a proposal to make the town clerk an appointed position, 36 to 27, at the June 2 Annual Town Meeting. Town Clerk Emila Valley spoke against the change, arguing that 235 of Massachusetts's 351 clerks are elected and that the office's oversight of elections requires direct accountability to voters: "Once a position moves from elected to appointed, the public loses a voice that you will not get back." Selectboard member Fred Baron, presenting the board's favorable recommendation, countered that Whately's pool of roughly 1,500 residents cannot always produce a qualified candidate, citing a prior treasurer-collector search that drew zero qualified applicants. The meeting also approved a $7,485,706 FY2027 operating budget as amended, reducing the South County Senior Center line after Deerfield rejected a regional consolidation plan, and rejected 40 to 25 a floor amendment that would have stripped a replacement police cruiser from a $338,500 capital spending package. A $120,292 Community Preservation Fund appropriation for Whately Elementary School playground equipment passed unanimously, with Superintendent Darius Medusa noting the CPA route draws state matching funds unavailable through a straight free-cash appropriation. Two zoning bylaw amendments establishing a battery energy storage systems framework and coordinating solar regulations, both requiring two-thirds majorities, passed without a dissenting vote.