Select Board - 07/20/26

This was a special meeting of the Westwood Select Board held on July 20, 2026, conducted in a hybrid format. The board first discussed the selection of a new police chief, reviewing the qualifications and assessment results of three finalists. After deliberation, the board voted to appoint Deputy Superintendent Russell O'Neal as the new Chief of Police, contingent upon successful background checks and employment agreement negotiations. The meeting then proceeded to interviews with two law firms, KP Law and Me Talerman & Costa, as candidates for the town's legal counsel services. Both firms presented their approaches, experience, and fee structures, emphasizing municipal law expertise and responsiveness. The board discussed the benefits of transitioning from an in-house counsel model to a law firm model, including access to a deeper bench of subject matter experts. After consideration, the board voted to appoint KP Law as the town council effective August 1, 2026, and authorized the town administrator to finalize the legal services agreement. The meeting included acknowledgments of the screening committee's work and expressions of gratitude to all firms involved.