Stoneham Select Board Cancels June 14 Override Vote in 4-1 Decision

STONEHAM -- May 9, 2025, Stoneham Select Board canceled its June 14 override ballot question in a 4-1 vote Friday morning, pushing any new attempt to the fall. The board had been weighing figures ranging from $5.1 million to a newly presented $8.1 million option, assembled from $1.7 million in town operational needs, $3.2 million in school costs, and a $3.1 million three-year teacher union contract package recommended by the School Committee the night before. Members Heidi Hyginus, Ramey Rezendes, David Mattaliano, and Chair Timothy Curran voted to cancel; Ryan Foreman dissented, saying he did not "understand the downside to trying." Rezendes, who moved to cancel, said she could not "in good faith pick a number out of a hat right now." Town Moderator Jean Fragios, attending as a guest, warned that publicly floating competing figures, 5.1, 8.1, 9.1, had already undermined public confidence. An override study committee will be posted to the town website as soon as Monday, and the topic returns to the May 27 Select Board meeting.