Do you know who runs the Town of Hopkinton? We the residents do. We have a Special Town Meeting coming up Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. with important issues. Will you attend? There are a number of town boards and committees that are responsible for significant contributions in our town. These boards and committees are staffed by your Hopkinton neighbors. At the time of this note, there are over 40 openings across these boards and committees.

We all have opinions about the cost and quality of services within the Town of Hopkinton. We also have an obligation to get involved with governing our town. You can make a difference. There are multiple ways:

1. Vote. Don’t let the few who show up determine our future as a town! At the last election in the spring of 2023, less than 20% of registered voters cast a ballot. There were some competitive contests that were determined by a small number of votes. If you want a voice, please vote.

2. Attend town meetings, including the Nov. 13 Special Town Meeting at Hopkinton Middle School. Everything of significance in Hopkinton gets discussed at Town Meeting. The turnout at recent meetings has been quite thin. More of us should be participating.

3. Get involved in town committees. There are 45 different boards and committees that cover everything from affordable housing to zoning (literally A to Z). Most of these positions are appointed and not publicly elected! Most residents are unaware of all the boards and committees that are available.

To make things easier, the Hopkinton Republican Town Committee has put together a shared drive that lists every board and committee along with links to their web pages, term lengths, vacancies and roles. This information is on the Hopkinton Republican Town Committee Facebook site and town webpage.

With these tools, you can have a better understanding of what opportunities exist to get involved and make a difference.

We need your help to make our town a better place! Don’t leave our future up to just a few of our townspeople. A more diverse group of views benefits us all!

— Jim Mirabile, on behalf of the Hopkinton Republican Town Committee

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