Wayland appointing board accepts counsel ruling, posts second FinCom vacancy

WAYLAND — August 13, 2024 — Wayland board accepts counsel's term-rotation ruling and opens a second FinCom seat. The Finance Committee Appointing Board, meeting remotely Aug. 13, voted 3-0 to reelect Cherry C. Karlson as chair through fiscal 2025 after town counsel concluded the board cannot rework Finance Committee term end dates. Hours before the meeting, member Michael Hoyle resigned from a seat scheduled to run through June 30, 2025, and offered to accept the open three-year term ending in 2027 to preserve institutional knowledge amid recent turnover. Karlson said any appointment must still follow the standard posting-and-interview process and that "it wasn't as simple as saying, oh great, just switch the people." Holdover member Brian O'Herlihy, whose term ended June 30, has told Karlson he wants only a one-year term. Select Board member Bill Whitney urged prompt action, citing a potentially earlier town meeting that will compress the FinCom budget review.