The Select Board held a brief Zoom meeting Thursday night primarily for the purpose of reorganizing the board following the Town Election on...
Select Board
Khumalo, Slaman receive high praise in Select Board performance evaluations
The Select Board, in a Thursday afternoon meeting, offered high praise for Fire Chief Steve Slaman and Town Manager Norman Khumalo during their performance evaluations. Both were given an overall maximum score of 5 — defined as “exceeds expectations regularly” — from...
Ritterbusch on Select Board race: Coutinho’s accusations distract from ‘real personal attacks’ on residents
During HCAM's Hopkinton Hangout Hour candidate interviews on Wednesday, Select Board vice chair John Coutinho revived his criticism of Amy Ritterbusch and her supporters for what he said were offensive social media posts. On Thursday Ritterbusch issued a statement...
Coutinho on Select Board race: ‘Hopkinton’s had enough’ of social media vitriol
The Select Board candidates took their cases to HCAM viewers on Wednesday via the Hopkinton Hangout Hour taped half-hour segments, and incumbent John Coutinho elaborated on his frustration with comments on social media he felt were unfair. The candidates were to...
Select Board meeting roundup: Legacy Farms HCA amendment passes
During its Zoom meeting Tuesday night, the Hopkinton Select Board approved a renegotiated host community agreement with Legacy Farms developer Roy MacDowell, which will provide an immediate boost to the...
Controversy surrounds Select Board race following accusation of online ‘attacks’
The fallout from Monday night’s Select Board candidates debate continued Tuesday, as John Coutinho questioned why Amy Ritterbusch hasn’t done more to stop what he called “vicious attacks” online, and Ritterbusch denied being aware of any such attacks while questioning...
Coutinho, citing ‘hostile environment’ online, pulls out of Select Board debate
Monday's HCAM Select Board debate was a short one, as incumbent John Coutinho announced in his opening remarks that he would not participate due to individuals in the community creating "a hostile...
Select Board approves expanded outdoor seating for 5 local restaurants
At a special Select Board meeting on Thursday afternoon, the members unanimously approved plans by five local restaurants to expand outdoor seating in order to serve more customers while maintaining social distancing. Applications for “temporary outdoor dining for...
Candidate questionnaire: John Coutinho
Position being sought: Select Board (candidate for re-election) Party affiliation: Republican Occupation: Realtor, builder Education: College of Engineering, University of Bridgeport Years lived in Hopkinton: 21 Governmental experience: Six years on Select Board (one...
Candidate questionnaire: Amy Ritterbusch
Position being sought: Select Board Party affiliation: Democrat Occupation: Software and web analyst, Wellesley Public Schools Education: B.A. from UMass-Amherst Years lived in Hopkinton: 16 Governmental experience: Growth Study Committee (2019-present, chair),...
Select Board roundup: Health director works on camp openings; outdoor dining to be expanded
Following is a roundup of news from Tuesday's Select Board meeting. Hopkinton Health Department director Shaun McAuliffe said while the town continues to be recognized as “one of the top-performing...
Town Meeting delayed again; Hopkinton receives $1.6M in federal funding
At its Tuesday night meeting, the Select Board voted to delay Town Meeting again, pushing it back from June 22 to a likely September date still to be determined. Town Election remains set for June 29. With Town Meeting being held after the close of the fiscal year on...
Health director expects no immediate decline in town’s COVID-19 cases
Hopkinton Health Department director Shaun McAuliffe provided an update during the Select Board’s Tuesday night Zoom meeting, indicating that he continues to be in regular contact with Golden Pond assisted living facility, where a number of residents tested positive...
Khumalo: Main Street Corridor Project ‘fully funded’
During Tuesday night’s Select Board meeting, Town Manager Norman Khumalo announced that he had “two good things to report” regarding the Main Street Corridor Project. One is that the project now is “fully funded,” as on April 30 the state approved the budget in the...
Anticipating financial issues, town initiates hiring freeze
The Select Board voted at Tuesday night's meeting to place a hiring freeze on town employment effective immediately due to the anticipated financial issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The vote came shortly after a presentation by Town Manager Norman Khumalo, who...
Selectmen discuss possible underride
Discussion and review of the Fiscal Year 2020 budget continued at the March 5 Board of Selectmen’s meeting, with Town Manager Norman Khumalo bringing the board up to date with changes made since the original budget presentation to the board on Jan. 29. “In the weeks...