MATTAPOISETT — After Town Meeting voted to expand the Mattapoisett Select Board from three to five members on Tuesday, May 12, a petition is in the works for a Special Town Meeting to potentially overturn the vote and maintain a three person board.

Paul Criscuolo, who started the petition, said he isn’t intending to present an argument that the original citizen’s petition was handled incorrectly at Town Meeting, noting that “nothing was done improperly” and that the article passed by a majority, though he added he was surprised there hadn’t been a hand count.

Instead, he is pursuing the petition because “many people” were upset and surprised by Town Meeting’s outcome.

At a Mattapoisett Republican Town Committee meeting on Thursday, July 17, Criscuolo explained his reasoning behind creating the petition.

He noted that the town is being well-run with “extremely strong executive management” and questioned why the set-up needed to change and whether there would be any efficiency gain.

Other arguments Criscuolo posed for why a three-member Board is preferable include there being “no evidence of dysfunction,” that it prevents factionalism and that it would be a lower cost to taxpayers.

He said the arguments presented during Town Meeting were “nice ideas” but questioned how likely it would be for them to occur, such as the idea that having more people on the board would increase diversity.

At Town Meeting, Nicki Demakis, who created the original citizens petition to expand the board, stated a larger board could “leverage more perspectives and skills, enhancing the depth and breadth of decision making.”

Demakis’ other arguments for expansion included increased collaboration between members, improved workflow and avoiding potential conflicts that could arise with a three member board.

However, during the July 17 meeting, Criscuolo questioned whether a larger board would create more scheduling difficulties rather than increase availability.

As part of the petition, Criscuolo and other proponents are looking to hold the Special Town Meeting on a Saturday in the hopes that more people will turn-out and are looking for there to be a private ballot rather than a hand count.

The petition is currently with the state attorney general, who will explain what wording needs to be used to make the petition actionable and is not yet available for signatures.

Criscuolo said that for the petition to pass more people need to get involved and volunteer to help, otherwise there wouldn’t be a reason to proceed.

He noted he didn’t create the petition just because he could but rather with the “purpose of winning.”