Marion selects temporary Planning Board member

MARION — After interviewing several candidates during a Tuesday, March 3 joint meeting with the Planning and Select boards, Sean Sweeney has been appointed to fill a Planning Board opening.

He will serve on the board until May 15, when voters will decide who will fill his and two other open seats during town elections.

Sweeney currently works for CHA consulting, a Norwell-based engineering firm, and brings a background in project planning, a degree in construction law and experience on several boards to the position.

He said when groups such as the Planning Board and Conservation Commission, along with the town planner, work together they can shape the direction the town moves in. When these groups are working toward a common goal, he said, they can attract the best developers for the town

“A town can control what type of environment it is through its political stance,” he said.

While his appointment is only for the next few months, Sweeney said he plans to run for a full term in this year’s election.

Along with Sweeney, the two boards interviewed three other candidates. In a preliminary vote, the boards were tied between Sweeney and Ann Morgan with three votes each, with Lauren Knight receiving two votes. In a final vote, Sweeney was elected 5 to 3.

Board members said they wanted a candidate who was ready to work as soon as they were appointed, along with a familiarity with the town and its character.

Planning Board Chair Andrew Daniel said he was “ecstatic” to see so many qualified candidates applied for the position, and encouraged all of them to run in the upcoming election.

“Strongly consider running, if not for this, then some other position in town, because we need new voices and new ideas and your passion,” Daniel said.