The Northborough Select Board Interview Subcommittee voted remotely to recommend three applicants—Marcos Palmeri, Karen Clark and Morgan Clark—for membership on the Northborough Cultural Council and agreed to forward the recommendations to the full Select Board for final confirmation.

The recommendation matters because the Cultural Council administers local arts programming and a small grant fund. “The reason why I wanna join the cultural council is when talking to Mitch and Terry, it's a good, entryway in engaging within the Northborough community,” applicant Marcos Palmeri said, noting the council also handles “an $8,000 grant that needs to be reviewed and disseminated amongst everyone.”

The subcommittee heard brief interviews from each candidate about their backgrounds and what they would contribute. Marcos Palmeri described a career in nonprofit and government work and said he has experience with outreach, community engagement and provider contracting; he also noted scheduling constraints while on leave from work and caring for a newborn. Karen Clark said she has “an extensive background in Northborough” that includes PTO work at Peaslee and Milliken and “about 15 years as a Girl Scout leader, troop organizer, trainer, planner.” Morgan Clark said her interest grew after participating in a Cultural Council project and said she can help with graphic design and social media for the council’s events.

During the interviews, candidates asked procedural questions about meeting schedules and required ethics training. Palmeri raised a question about duplicative ethics courses he had already completed for his job; staff said they would check with the town clerk and the ethics commission and follow up.

After the interviews, the subcommittee made a single motion to forward all three applicants to the full Select Board for an official vote at the next available meeting. Select Board Interview Subcommittee member Laura (last name not specified) moved the recommendation and Select Board Interview Subcommittee member Mike Teejian seconded it; both members voted aye. The subcommittee’s vote is a recommendation only; candidates become full members only after the Select Board’s confirmation vote.

The meeting was conducted remotely under chapter 2 of the Acts of 2025, “an act extending certain COVID‑19 measures” cited at the start of the session, and the subcommittee noted there would be no public comment at this meeting. Staff said they would aim to place the confirmations on the next Select Board agenda so the Cultural Council can proceed with upcoming events.

The subcommittee adjourned after completing the interviews and recommendation.