Berlin Select Board Appoints Temporary Town Clerk After Elected Clerk Declines Seat

BERLIN — May 22, 2026 — Berlin Select Board declares town clerk seat vacant after elected clerk declines to serve. The two-member board, meeting in a six-minute special session on May 22, voted 2-0 to appoint James Wheeler, a long-serving assistant town clerk, as temporary town clerk at $40 per hour through July 13, 2026, after the newly elected clerk sent a letter the previous day stating she would not be seated. Town Counsel advised the board it was required to declare the vacancy and name a replacement. Member Peg Wysocki, who made the motion, said the board would subsequently meet at full membership to consider a Town Meeting article that could convert the clerk's position from elected to appointed "so that we avoid this again." Staff plan to begin searching for a longer-term interim through the Massachusetts Town Clerks Association and professional contacts, with Wheeler expected to return to his assistant role once a replacement is found.