Hanover Select Board voted to allow four late warrant articles onto the Town Meeting warrant.South Shore Times

Hanover board advances late warrant articles

Select Board vote clears four late submissions for Town Meeting consideration

Published on:

17 Mar 2026, 7:37 pm

The Hanover Select Board voted to allow four late warrant article submissions to move forward to Town Meeting, reopening debate over deadlines and the petition process.

The decision followed individual consultations with legal counsel and resulted in a unanimous vote to reopen the warrant. A subsequent vote to accept the articles passed with four members in favor and one abstention.

The four articles include proposals related to advisory committee appointments, a recall process for elected officials, a Hanover Crossing liquor license matter, and a nonbinding measure calling on the state to eliminate Plymouth County government.

The board had previously established a firm deadline of noon on Jan. 26 for warrant submissions. That deadline became a point of contention during deliberations, particularly for Select Board member Greg Satterwhite, who said he abstained because of concerns about consistency.

“The reason I abstained has been my same reason all along in our December 1st meeting: we voted unanimously to establish a deadline of exactly noon on January 26th for the submission of articles for the annual town meeting warrant. I didn't want to consider anything that came after our deadline,” he said. “I pressed to ask: So, when is the deadline? The day before we have to print it the warrant? At town meeting? The board wasn’t interested in having that conversation.”

The four approved articles each followed different paths to eligibility. One proposal, submitted by Rachel Hughes, secured 13 signatures, exceeding the required 10, according to Satterwhite. It was certified just minutes before the Select Board meeting, and the measure is nonbinding, serving as a formal expression of the town’s position on Plymouth County government.

The vote also created an awkward moment for Select Board Chair Rhonda Nyman, who has chosen not to seek re-election to the board and is instead running for Plymouth County commissioner.

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