Marshfield Select Board Defers Special Election as Recall Deadline Approaches April 22

MARSHFIELD — April 6, 2026 — Marshfield Select Board defers special election date as recall petition against Chair Eric Kelly and override ballot dispute dominate a packed April 6 session. Town Clerk Reese Casper told the two-member board — Chair Eric Kelly and member Steve Jarvis, with the third seat vacant after Trish Simpson's resignation — that April 22 is the drop-dead date to hold any special election before June 30, and that the high school is the only venue equipped for the town's election systems. The June 20 date listed on the agenda for an override ballot question is unavailable due to a previously booked dance recital, voiding that item before any vote could be taken. Jarvis pressed Kelly on why the board voted 3-0 to place override options on the town meeting warrant if there was no intention to put the question to voters at the ballot box: "There is a scenario where town meeting could vote to pass some level of an override and then be denied the right to vote on it at the ballot box — and I think that is anti-democratic." Treasurer-Collector Melissa Morrissey warned the board that a state proposal to end license marking for unpaid excise taxes could put approximately $700,000 in outstanding Marshfield collections at risk, and the board unanimously authorized her to draft a letter of opposition. The board also unanimously approved a $5 across-the-board increase to beach day pass fees and resident stickers, awarded the Senior Center recreational amenities construction contract to Dandell Construction as lowest bidder, accepted an $80,000 Edwin Phillips Trust grant for the Recreation Department's RAMS summer program for children with special needs, and approved the Beach and Back Half Marathon for June 14.