About the
Wrentham Voter Guide
Local elections, those that matter most, exert direct effects on our day-to-day lives because local officials’ decisions affect our schools, roads, public safety, and local businesses. Your votes in local elections give you a say in who makes decisions that affect you and let your voice be heard.
The Wrentham Voter Guide (WVG) is designed to help you, as a voter, make informed decisions. Lack of information about candidates and the positions they hope to fill are among the primary reasons that voters do not turn out at local elections.
We contacted every individual who filed to run as a candidate for the April 1st, 2024 election, and requested the following information:
-
1 - 2 sentence statement about why they are running for office
-
100 – 150-word bio
-
Photo
-
Website, social media channels and LinkedIn profile if available
Last year, most candidates responded to our inquiries, which enabled us to share the information they provided. This year, every candidate responded to our request for information! This information is available in PDF format and on the Web to help you make informed choices about how you vote. We hope that you will share it with your friends and neighbors and encourage them to vote.
Your vote makes a difference because it puts you, the voter, in the driver’s seat.
2024 Wrentham Voter Guide (PDF format)
Questions: wrenthamvoterguide@gmail.com
Annual Town Election
Wrentham's Annual Town Election will be held on Monday, April 1, 2024 at the Delaney Elementary School, 120 Taunton Street. Voters can view the specimen ballot (PDF) on the Town's website.
Polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Please note that there will be no Early Voting or Vote by Mail for the Annual Town Election.
Voter registration is open now, so go register to vote! The last day to register to vote will be Friday, March 22, 2024, in the lobby of Town Hall from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Town Hall is closed to the public on Fridays. If you wait until the 22nd to register, you'll need to go to the main door and ring the bell - someone will assist you (on TD Bank side of the building).
Open Seats
-
Select Board - 3-year terms - 2 openings
-
Wrentham Elementary School Committee - 3-year terms - 2 openings
-
King Philip Regional School Committee - 3-year term - 1 opening
-
Planning Board - 3-year terms - 3 openings
-
Board of Health - 3-year term -1 opening
-
Fiske Library Board of Trustees - 3-year terms - 2 openings, 1-year term - 1 opening
-
Moderator - 1-year term - 1 opening
-
Board of Assessors - 3-year term - 1 opening
-
Housing Authority - 5-year term - 1 opening, 3-year term - 1 opening
How to Run for Office
Are you interested in running for office? Pick up your nomination papers starting Wednesday, January 3rd, 2024, at the Town Clerk's office.
Candidates need to collect 50 signatures from Wrentham registered voters. The Town Clerk recommends 55 signatures to ensure that candidates collect the required number of signatures.
Completed nomination papers MUST be submitted to the Town Clerk's office by Monday, February 12th, 2024.
More details:
Obtaining Nomination Papers (PDF format)
Overview of Positions from the Town Charter (PDF Format)
Questions? Please contact the Town Clerk's office at 508-384-5415
Cable 8 "Candidate Profiles"
Complete Cable 8 Candidates Profiles 2024
Note that not all candidates elected to participate in the Cable 8 Candidate Profiles.
Candidate Events
Candidates Forum (Cable 8 Broadcast)
About: The Wrentham Candidates Forum is an opportunity to engage with voters in a facilitated format. Candidates for Select Board and other positions will share their perspectives on key issues, responding to questions from a forum facilitator in a group setting.
Candidates on the Common
When: Saturday, March 23rd
Time: 11:00 a.m.
Where: Wrentham Town Common
About: Join us for a casual, unmoderated gathering on the Town Common. This is a unique opportunity for candidates to connect directly with voters. No moderators, just candidates and voters engaging in open conversations.
Questions about the Candidates Forum or Candidates on the Common, please contact the organizers at WrenthamEngagement@gmail.com / (508) 507-9660
Debt Exclusion Ballot Question
The Question
A Debt Exclusion question will be on the ballot for the April 1 Town Election. The Debt Exclusion question relates to the means for Wrentham to provide its allocation of funding for the Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical District reconstruction project. The question as it will appear on the ballot is as follows:
Shall the Town of Wrentham be allowed to exempt from the provisions of proposition two and one-half, so called, the amounts required to pay for the Town’s allocable share of the bonds issued by the Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical District (“the District”) for the purpose of paying costs of designing, constructing, originally equipping and furnishing a new District high school and related athletic facilities, located at 147 Pond Street, Franklin, Massachusetts, including the payment of all costs incidental and related thereto?
Yes ________ No ________
Information
Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School serves 11 towns, including Wrentham. In October 2023, a special election was held in all 11 towns that approved funding construction. This allowed the project to go forward. It is now up to each town to determine how they provide their allocation of the funding.
A debt exclusion is a temporary increase in property taxes above the limits allowed by Proposition 2½. It allows the Town to raise the amount of the annual debt service payment for a designated project each year until the debt is retired. This is how the funding was provided for the King Philp Regional School building projects. That debt will be paid off in Fiscal Year 2026. A debt exclusion must be voted on by placing the question on an election ballot.
A Yes vote means:
The Town’s payments for the debt service will not come from or impact the Town’s annual operating budget. The payments will come from an amount added to the tax levy, similar to what was done for the King Philip building projects.
A No vote means:
The payments for the debt service will come from and impact the Town’s annual operating budget. The operating budget would have to absorb the cost of the project within the existing tax levy. This would affect the current and future annual operating budgets for Town departments.
Summary
This question has a significant impact, both operationally and fiscally for Wrentham. Voters should refer to the Town’s website to get more information. Additional information will also be provided from the Town’s various communication services. The Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical District’s website provides details about the project as well.
Town Shares Information About Proposition 2 1/2 Debt Exclusion Vote on April 1 Town Election Ballot (Town of Wrentham website)
Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School Building Project (TCRVHS website)
Tri-County School Building Project (Town of Wrentham website)
Select Board
3-year terms - 2 openings
Wrentham is governed by a five member Select Board; members are elected for 3-year staggered terms.
The Select Board are the town's Chief Elected Officials. They have general supervision over all matters not specifically delegated by law or vote of the Town Meeting to another officer or board. The Select Board is responsible for hiring and supervising the Town Administrator; setting policy and goals for the town, which are then implemented by the Town Administrator and other town officials; collective bargaining, serving as a licensing authority; and appointing community members to boards and committees.
Candidates:
Wrentham Elementary
School Committee
3-year terms - 2 openings
The Wrentham Elementary School Committee consists of five members; members are elected for 3-year staggered terms.
The School Committee has the power to select and to terminate the superintendent; is responsible for reviewing and approving budgets for public education in the district; overseeing capital projects such as the construction or renovation of school buildings; and establishing educational goals and policies for the schools in the district that are consistent with statewide goals and standards established by the Board of Education.
Candidates:
King Philip Regional
School Committee
3-year term - 1 opening
The KP Regional School Committee consists of nine members, three members from each town. The third member for each community is a member of the elementary school committee and is elected by the elementary school committee to a one-year term; they serve on both committees for that year.
The KP Regional School Committee is responsible for overseeing the operation of public schools within the regional school district and is comprised of elected representatives from each member town. Specific duties include: developing and approving policies; hiring and supervising the superintendent; developing and approving the budget for the district; negotiating contracts with teachers and staff members; overseeing capital projects such as the construction or renovation of school buildings; monitoring student achievement and taking steps to improve student outcomes; and communicating the performance of the schools within the district to the community.
Candidates:
Planning Board
3-year terms - 3 openings
Wrentham's Planning Board consists of seven members; members are elected for 3-year staggered terms.
Wrentham's Planning Board is responsible for managing the growth and development of the town through the implementation of the Wrentham Zoning Bylaws. Some of the specific responsibilities of the Planning Board include: reviewing and approving subdivision plans; reviewing and making recommendations on zoning bylaw amendments; issuing special permits for certain land use projects; site plan review; long-range planning, and public outreach.
Candidates:
Board of Health
3-year term - 1 opening
Wrentham's Board of Health consists of three members; members are elected for 3-year staggered terms.
The Board of Health (BoH) has a number of responsibilities related to protecting and promoting public health in town. In Wrentham, the BoH is responsible for "...protecting groundwater from contamination, protecting private and public water supplies, ... enforcing DEP regulations on the disposal of wastewater (Title 5), enforcing EPA/DEP regulations on preventing pollution from air, water, solid waste and toxic wastes, enforcing regulations to control noise pollution and so on" (Board of Health, Town of Wrentham).
Additional duties may include:
-
Inspecting food service establishments;
-
Investigating public health complaints;
-
Promoting public health education;
-
Monitoring communicable diseases.
Candidates:
Fiske Library Board of Trustees
3-year terms - 2 openings
1-year term - 1 opening
The Fiske Library Board of Trustees consists of six members, each elected for 3-year staggered terms.
The Trustees have custody of, and manage, the library and all property of the town related to the library. All funds and property that the town may receive by gift or bequest for library support or maintenance is administered by the Board in accordance with the gift or bequest. The Board of Trustees, subject to terms of the town charter, has all the other powers and duties given to the boards of library trustees under the constitution and laws and other powers authorized by the Town Charter, by-law, or other town meeting vote.
Candidates for 3-year terms:
Mary Elizabeth Bernard (incumbent)
Candidate for 1-year term:
Town Moderator
1-year term - 1 opening
The Town Moderator is an elected position and is subject to reelection every year.
The principal duties of the Moderator are to run Town Meeting and to appoint the Finance Committee.
Specifically, the Town Moderator presides over town meetings and ensures that they are conducted in an orderly manner, determines the outcomes of votes taken at the meeting and announces the results, certifies the results of the meeting and submits them to the Town Clerk, appoints election officers for town elections, and appoints members of the Finance Committee. The Town Moderator is critical to ensuring that town meetings are conducted in a fair and orderly manner.
Candidates:
Board of Assessors
3-year term - 1 opening
The Board of Assessors consists of three members, each elected for 3-year staggered terms.
The Board of Assessors is responsible for assessing the value of all real and personal property within the Town of Wrentham. The Board of Assessors works to ensure that property is assessed at fair market value, and that taxes are levied uniformly and equitably. "The Assessor's responsibilities include the ongoing updating of our detailed parcel database via cyclical permit and sales inspections, processing motor vehicle excise tax abatements, personal exemptions, property abatements, chapter land, preparing abutters lists, name and address changes, updating parcel maps and GIS systems on a yearly basis, providing a public access terminal and providing parcel data to those who inquire" (Board of Assessors, Town of Wrentham).
Candidates:
Housing Authority
5-year term - 1 opening
3-year term - 1 opening
The Housing Authority consists of five commissioners, each serving for 5-year staggered terms. Four commissioners are elected by the voters and the fifth commissioner is appointed as provided in section 5 of Chapter 121B of the General Laws (e.g. one member of a housing authority shall be a tenant member appointed by the Select Board).
The Wrentham Housing Authority Housing manages and oversees public housing and affordable housing programs, ensuring that eligible individuals and families have access to safe and affordable housing options. It administers the Alternative Housing Voucher Program (AVHP), maintains and manages public housing developments, and works to address the housing needs of low-income elderly/disabled individuals and families in Wrentham.
Candidates for 5-year term:
Candidates for 1-year term:
About Write-In Candidates
A write-in candidate is not listed on the official ballot but asks voters to write their full name and address in the blank space provided for a particular office. Voters must physically write the name of the candidate and his or her address on the ballot rather than selecting a pre-printed name. Often, candidates will provide stickers with their names and addresses for voters to apply to a ballot.
A candidate who chooses to run for office as a write-in or sticker candidate should alert the town clerk in writing of his or her intent.
According to the Massachusetts' Secretary of State guide "How to run as a Write-In Candidate" "...if a voter misspells [the candidate's] name or address, the vote can still be counted, as long as the election worker can figure out the voter's intent" (How to Run as a Write-In Candidate, Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts).
A write-in or sticker candidate must receive the highest number of votes to win the seat.