Stow Select Board elects Toole chair, clears cannabis delivery and digital-notice petition

STOW — May 26, 2026 — Stow Select Board reorganizes under new chair, allows cannabis home delivery, and moves to modernize legal notices. The board elected JT Toole as chair and Ingeborg Hegemann as clerk at its May 26 meeting, filling a leadership void left by the departure of former member Megan Birch-McMichael. Town Administrator Denise Dembkoski recommended the board take no action on a new state law — signed April 19, 2026 — that makes marijuana home delivery allowable by right statewide, reasoning that delivery to residents' homes is safer than requiring travel to a dispensary; the board unanimously agreed. The board also voted 5-0 to petition the General Court for special legislation permitting digital legal notices, citing that the MetroWest Daily News has only three print subscribers in Stow. On conduct, members voted unanimously to require all board and committee appointees to sign the town's Code of Conduct before appearing on any appointment agenda, a policy Dembkoski said would provide legal protection in harassment or discrimination complaints.