Good morning, Hopkinton! Welcome to the daily update we call Hopkinton Today — a quick recap of yesterday’s news, highlights of what’s on tap, and a photo of the day.

Board to consider four firms in search for potential new town counsel

PHOTO/JERRY SPAR

The Select Board is set to interview law firms at its meeting tonight in an ongoing effort to explore options for the town’s legal representation.

Tonight’s pared-down meeting will feature only the interviews with four firms and an executive session. Among the candidates are Harrington Heep; KP Law; Mead, Talerman & Costa; and Brooks & DeRensis. Three of the four firms are based in the Boston area, while Mead, Talerman & Costa is headquartered in Newburyport.

Tonight’s interviews are a continuation of a process begun back in June. During its June 3 meeting, members discussed the process for town counsel appointments. The board is required by the Town Charter to appoint a town counsel annually.

The current town counsel appointment was set to expire June 30, but was extended at the following Select Board meeting on June 17. Board members voted unanimously to initiate a request for quotation (RfQ) process to solicit proposals from other firms.

During that meeting, member Matt Kizner spoke in favor of initiating a search for potential new legal representation for the town.

“There’s been a significant amount of … legal issues in town, some of which are potentially traceable to our legal counsel,” Kizner said. He added that he felt it would be “doing a disservice not to consider what the alternatives are, given the services provided.”

The town currently is represented by Harrington Heep, with attorney Bryan Bertram acting as lead counsel. Bertram has over a decade of experience working with government clients, according to his informational page on the Harrington Heep website. He serves as lead counsel for the towns of Bourne and Scituate as well.

Harrington Heep represented the town through the dismissal of Hopkinton Police Sgt. Tim Brennan, who was let go in 2024 due to not reporting a sexual assault on a student committed by former Deputy Police Chief John “Jay” Porter. Brennan’s dismissal has caused divisions in town, and his case still is under arbitration.

The firm also has been involved in a leaked documents scandal related to the Porter case. Insufficiently redacted documents from the case which included identifying information about Porter’s accuser were released to the public January 2024. Bertram offered an official apology and worked to develop a more robust redaction policy for the town late last year.

Latest News

Town officials have been making headway on resolving a scheduling disagreement with Verizon on its time frame for completing its work on the Main Street Corridor project, although a finalized schedule has not yet been achieved.

This week’s Real Estate Transactions list shows four homes sold in the past week, including two for over $1 million.

The Hopkinton Trails Club will hold its next monthly meeting on Wednesday at the Hopkinton Public Library.

Town meetings tonight include the Select Board (6).

Photo of the Day

Knock on Wood performs during Sunday’s Concert on the Common.

PHOTO/JERRY SPAR