Northborough Select Board elects Jonathan Ray as Chair, defers sculpture location vote

NORTHBOROUGH -- May 18, 2026, Northborough's newly reorganized Select Board elected Jonathan Ray as Chair in a 3-2 vote Monday, with Michael Tijan named Vice Chair and Julianne Hirsch as Clerk at the first meeting to include newly elected members Jeff Hosteguy and Leslie Rutan. The board approved a special one-day liquor license for the Revolution 250 Colonial Fair on May 30 at Ellsworth McAfee Park pending final fire and police sign-off, unanimously authorized the Cultural Council to install a four-panel seasonal mural and 10 fiberglass apple sculptures at town buildings, and ratified finalized collective bargaining agreements with police dispatchers and sergeants. The board voted 3-2 to table a decision on where to place a 12-foot bronze sculpture, either at Blake Street or the Town Common, where 58 percent of a community survey of roughly 300 respondents preferred it, until the June 8 meeting, with ARPA funds backing the project set to expire in December 2026. Town Administrator Stephanie Mulvey reported that three fire chief finalists, chosen from 13 applicants through an assessment center run by Paro Consulting, will interview before the full board in public session on June 8.