Justin Evans
Express correspondent
The Plympton Board of Selectmen reorganized its leadership structure during its May 19 meeting, with Dana Smith taking over as chair, Nathaniel Sides as vice chair, and Mark Russo as clerk.
The leadership transition came following recent town elections that saw changes to the board’s composition, including the departure of longtime member John Traynor.
Outgoing Vice Chair Mark Russo, who nominated Smith for the position of chairman, noted that his own time on the board may be limited as his house is currently on the market.
“I am glad to continue to serve sort of in a transitional role, particularly because a couple of the selectmen that had long-term experience are no longer with us,” Russo said. “But at some point when we get to closing, town council has advised me I’ll have to resign.”
Russo offered to continue attending meetings from the audience after his resignation to provide institutional knowledge and assist with the transition. He also volunteered to cover any expenses should a special election be needed to fill his seat.
In his parting remarks as Vice Chair, Russo emphasized the importance of “comity” – courteous and considerate behavior – in town governance.
“When I started out as a selectman 11 years ago, 12 years ago, we were the antithesis of that. One of the main reasons I initially ran for selectman was to promote some courtesy and transparency, and I think over the last decade we’ve done a great job on that,” Russo says.
Smith, accepting the chair position, acknowledged the board’s faith in him and noted the positive engagement from townspeople.
“We’ve actually seen more interaction at these town meetings or the selectmen’s meetings,” Smith said. “It was good to see people being interactive as far as our town government, and I always encourage that, or otherwise I wouldn’t be up here myself.”
Newly elected Selectman Nathaniel Sides expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve.
“I do appreciate the trust that the citizenry has placed in me and I appreciate their support and I look forward to serving the town to the best of my ability,” Sides said.
Sides also acknowledged Traynor’s service, noting that while they “did not always see eye to eye on things,” they shared a commitment to doing what’s best for the town.
The board received an update from Town Administrator Liz Dennehy on the status of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Dennehy reported that while all county funds have been received, several projects remain in progress.
“We have a few projects for Silver Lake, specifically for the HVAC work at the high school and some HVAC work at the middle school,” Dennehy explained. “They’ve only invoiced us for a small portion, so we’re still sitting on those funds basically.”
Another ongoing ARPA-funded project involves drilling wells for the town complex’s public water supply. This project falls under the Town Properties Committee’s oversight, with completion expected by September.
“I think it would probably be wise for this board to get an update from Town Properties, maybe for the June 9 meeting,” Dennehy suggested. “I personally would feel better once those funds are completely expended in the manner that they were authorized by the county.”
Dennehy confirmed that the town has fulfilled its obligations to the U.S. Treasury regarding ARPA funds, having committed all funds before the December 2024 deadline.
The board also addressed several vacancies on town committees, including two on the Town Properties Committee following Traynor’s resignation from that body. The board plans to create a comprehensive social media post outlining all committee vacancies to encourage citizen participation.
“I think if we put it out there that people being interested and so forth on those boards, if we made it not just that, but that any of them that are interested in even giving some information on what those boards specifically do and what it entails and so forth, I think it would be very helpful on social media,” Smith said.
Russo noted that the Town Properties Committee in particular “needs some really talented and savvy people” and suggested the board may need to “restructure what the mission of that organization is and what the communication is and actual authority is.”
The board also acknowledges the success of a recent town meeting, with Russo sharing feedback from Town Counsel John Eichman.
“He came up to me and said, I’ve been to a lot of town meetings and I’ve never seen anything this calm and quiet and actually productive along the way,” Russo recounts.
The meeting adjournedLasell University Students Named to Spring 2025 Dean’s List
NEWTON, MA (05/21/2025)– The Spring 2025 Dean’s List includes students who have completed at least 12 credits as a full-time student in that semester and have achieved a semester GPA of 3.5 or higher.
Sarah Mendes of Halifax MA
Morgan Healy of Kingston MA
For more information contact: Ian Meropol, Chief Communications Officer, at 617-243-2150, or imeropol@lasell.edu.
NOTE: You are receiving this press release because the student or their parents are from your area. This press release above was prepared for: Editor – Plympton-Halifax Express.
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Students named to Dean’s List during the Spring 2025 semester. : http://app.readmedia.com/news/attachment/213528/Image-26.png.jpeg
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after 27 minutes, with the next regular meeting scheduled for June 9.