CLARKSBURG, Mass. — Voters will be asked to fill the vacant seat on the Select Board in a special election this December.
Board member Ronald Boucher submitted his letter of resignation two weeks ago with nearly 2 1/2 years left on his term. The board on Wednesday morning set a date of Tuesday, Dec. 7, to elect his replacement.
"I want to thank him for his service to the community for the last three years, he's done a lot of really good stuff to get us moving in the right direction here with the school," Chairwoman Danielle Luchi said of Boucher. "He was a very, very active board member, and we appreciate everything he did for us."
Luchi said the winner in the special election will serve until the annual town election in May, when the final two years of the term will be on the ballot.
The three-person board has frequently had only two members in the past because of resignations. Seven years ago, a two-person board was at a stalemate over hiring a town administrator until the annual town election brought the board back up to three.
Luchi and board member Allen Arnold said they did not want to get into a position of not being able to make a decision.
"We all discuss things and work well together but we can always go into a deadlock and it's just good to have that third person," said Luchi.
Luchi, as vice chairman, had been sworn in as chairman last week but the board formally reorganized on Wednesday morning. She said town counsel had advised it was automatic for the vice chair to step up but "because there was concern from some community members," it was decided to take a vote Wednesday.
The board also went into executive session to discuss negotiations with the town administrator. Rebecca Stone's three-year contract is up in October 2022. Boucher had given her a verbal warning at the last meeting prior to his resignation.
The session on the contract was preceded by another executive session on the "reputation, character, physical condition, or mental health, rather than professional competence, of an individual." No one else was in attendance other than the board and administrative assistant when the executive sessions started. The board said it would not be taking a vote when it came out of the executive sessions.
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Possible Measles Exposure at Boston, Logan
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday that an out-of-state adult visitor who spent time in Boston and Westborough earlier this month was diagnosed with measles and was present in a number of locations.
This could have resulted in other people being exposed to measles virus.
The visitor arrived at Logan International Airport on American Airlines flight 2384 from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, on Dec. 11 at 2:39 p.m. They stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Boston-Westborough in Westborough and departed the state on Dec. 12 via Logan at 9:19 p.m. on JetBlue flight 117 to Las Vegas.
DPH is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local partners to identify and notify those who may have been exposed to measles from this individual.
"Measles is a highly contagious, airborne disease, which has increased significantly in the United States because of the unfortunate decrease in vaccination rates. It is also a preventable disease," said Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein. "This current situation serves as an important reminder of the critical role vaccination plays in protecting our communities. While Massachusetts has not had a measles case this year, 2025 saw the highest number of nationwide cases in more than a decade — nearly 2,000 in 44 jurisdictions, and sadly, three deaths.
"Fifteen years ago, measles had been considered eliminated in the United States, but that tremendous progress is at risk. Vaccines are one of the most important public health interventions ever — they are safe, effective, and lifesaving."
Measles is very contagious. However, the risk to most people in Massachusetts is low because the vaccination rate in the state is high. People who are not immune and visited any of the locations on the following dates and times may be at risk for developing measles.
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