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More than six weeks after Paras Bhayani left the Winchester Select Board, the town has yet to set a date for voters to choose his successor.
Bhayani’s resignation took effect July 14, leaving the five-member board with four members and more than a year remaining on his term, which runs through March 2028.
As of Aug. 26, the Select Board has not addressed the vacancy during a public meeting or announced a date for a special election. Winchester News requested comment on Aug. 25 from Select Board Chair Anthea Brady about the status of the vacancy and is awaiting a response.
Unlike vacancies on several other elected Winchester boards, the open Select Board seat is not filled through a joint appointment process. Winchester News reported when Bhayani announced his resignation in May that the remaining Select Board members would choose a date for a special election.
No deadline for a vote
Neither Winchester’s charter nor its bylaws establishes a deadline for filling a Select Board vacancy, according to previous Winchester News reporting.
That leaves the timing in the hands of the remaining board members: Brady, Vice Chair William McGonigle, Michelle Prior and Michael Bettencourt.
Bhayani announced May 28 that he planned to step down, giving the town more than six weeks of notice before his resignation became effective. He cited personal and family reasons and told Winchester News his departure was not a criticism of the board or town government.
“I have nothing but good things to say about the board,” Bhayani said at the time.
Bhayani had served about 16 months on the Select Board. He was first elected in March 2025, finishing first in a four-candidate race with 1,945 votes.
Four members conducting business
The vacancy comes as the Select Board continues to make consequential decisions with four members.
On Aug. 24, the board unanimously renewed Town Manager Christopher Senior’s contract through Dec. 31, 2027. It also heard a renewed proposal to acquire the Forest Ridge property for conservation and discussed Winchester’s fiscal 2026 financial position, including roughly $600,000 reserved for Eversource bills the town had not yet received.
Operating with four members also creates the possibility of a 2-2 vote on matters that divide the board.
Bhayani had been closely involved in Winchester’s recent financial planning. He chaired the State of the Town Committee, whose work helped shape the town's $11.5 million operating override proposal. Voters rejected that override in March.
The Select Board’s next scheduled meeting is Sept. 14.
Unless the board addresses the vacancy before then, the seat Bhayani left July 14 will enter its third month without a publicly announced timetable.
Will Dowd is a Massachusetts journalist who covers municipal government and community life for Winchester News. He is also the founder and editor of The Marblehead Independent, a reader-funded digital newsroom.
