Image from Mass Audubon
Topics on the Page
Forms of Government in 351 Massachusetts Communities
School Committees
Town Meetings
- Representative vs. Open Meetings
- Town Meetings
City vs. Town Government
Boards of Selectmen
- DEI (Divesity, Equity and Inclusion) Officers
Mayors
eBook Connection: Components of Local Government
Focus Question: What are the components of local government in Massachusetts?
PAGE SUMMARY
This page outlines the major forms and components of local government in Massachusetts, There are sections on the roles of school committees, board of selectmen, mayors, and town council as well as the function of town meetings and the distinction between cities and towns. Resources include a breakdown of the formation of all Massachusetts townships and each government, recordings of school board meetings, a list of current Massachusetts Mayors, and the pros and cons of the various elements of town government. This page emphasizes the difference between representative and open town meetings -- both forms of direct democracy, representative town meetings are where elected officials vote whereas open town meetings are where all town residents are able to vote on actions.
Patience Gubisch, April 2023
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U.S CENSUS of Local and State Massachusetts Government
Oldest Town: Plymouth - 1620
Oldest City: Boston - 1822
Newest Town: East Brookfield - 1920
Newest City: GARDNER - 1923
Smallest by population:
- Town of Gosnold - 75
- City of NORTH ADAMS - 13,708
Largest by population:
- Town of Brookline - 58,732
- City of BOSTON - 617,594
- Click here to open a map of current Massachusetts cities and towns updated in 2020.
School Committees
Roles
- Craft district's mission statement
- Approve the budget
- Make rules for the district
- Hire and evaluate the Superintendent
- Hold biweekly or monthly meetings to discuss issues, open to the public with time for comments
** Massachusetts Association of School Committees Member Handbook --> Member Handbook - MASC.org
Structure
- Certain number of elected representatives (varies with each district) with set term lengths
For an example of the structure of a Massachusetts School Committee, visit The Lincoln Public Schools page
Watch a school committee meeting in Sunderland, MA here
Town Meetings
Earliest Recorded Town Meeting, Dorchester (Massachusetts), October 8, 1633
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Town meeting, Huntington, Vermont, 2006 |
Interview with Frank M. Bryan, author of Real Democracy: The New England Town Meeting and How It Works (University of Chicago Press, 2003).
- Click here see a history of Ashfield, Massachusetts and town meetings in Massachusetts. This book looks at how Ashfield and New England towns like it are a models of direct democracy.
Town Born: An amazing book that provides in depth detail on the New England Town and it's main source of democracy, the town meeting (written by Umass Professor Bary Levy).
Origins of New England town meetings: click here
Town meetings are a form of direct democracy; that is, citizens are the ones voting, not their representatives voting for them.
Save Freedom of Speech, Norman Rockwell (1941-1945)
Structure of Town Meetings
- There are two types of town meetings: Open and Representative
- Open town meetings are held in towns with less than 6,000 people.
- A board of selectmen reads a list of issues to be voted on
- A moderator runs the meeting, explains each issue, and holds the vote for each issue
- The meetings are run on Parliamentary Procedure
- Votes are taken on a voice basis, not a written ballot
- Representative town meetings are held in towns with more than 6,000 people
- Townspeople elect representatives to vote for them, acting similar to a town council
- The number of Town Meeting Members depends on population
Notes on Town Meeting from Slow Democracy: Rediscovering Community, Bringing Decision-Making Back Home, Susan Clark and Woden Teachout (2012, p. 231).
- Traditional town meetings are used in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut (not Rhode Island).
- Switzerland is the only other country that uses town meetings. Every Swiss community, from alpine villages to Zurich, uses some form of town meeting governance.
- In Swiss communities with large populations, a local parliament replaces all-community member meeting, much like a New England representative town meeting.
Representative vs Open Town Meetings:
Town meetings are a form of direct democracy where citizens make decisions about the policies of the government. A representative form of government has elected officials who govern for the people. The United States Congress as well as the legislatures of all the 50 states are examples of representative form of government.
For more information, go to A Citizens Guide to Town Meeting and What is Representative Government?.
An open town meeting is one in which all residents of the town are eligible to vote on considered actions, while in a representative town meeting, residents vote for representatives, who vote on proposed actions in town meetings. The population of the town is the key factor in determine whether a town is able to adopt an open town meeting model.
Check out the Citizen's Guide to Town Meetings by the state of Massachusetts for more information. For a general guide on how to operate a town hall meeting, click here.
Click here for an online portal to information about cities and towns in Massachusetts. Click here to see the locations of over 35,000 cities and towns in the United States through small-scale data.
An Open town meeting follows the Direct Democracy tract. People show up to "town meeting" and directly vote on the issues themselves.
- In a representative town meeting, voters first elect Town Meeting Members who then vote on the matters on behalf of the voters who elected them.
- The number of representatives changes on the size of the town and can as few as 45 or as many as 240.
- Towns with a population of less than 6,000 must have open town meetings, where as towns with more can choose which form they want.
- One-third of the Town Meeting Members have 3 year terms, another one-third have 2 year terms, and the last one-third have 1 year terms. Eating contests for these positions are also non-partisan, meaning candidates do not run with a party.
- A town moderator runs the meetings and declares the outcome of all votes (1).
Hear Ye! Hear Ye! The Town Meeting is Called to Order, National First Ladies Library
Teaching Strategy: Town Hall Circle, Facing History and Ourselves
City Vs. Town Government
Cities do not have town meetings. They are governed by city councils or a board of alderman. City governments are representation based and do not follow direct democracy. In order to become a City a municipality must have a population of at least 12,000. Cities have Mayors as executive officers, Towns have Selectmen.
Boards of Selectmen
Either male or female, these people are the elected executive officers of a town. Depending on the town, there are either 3 or 5 members.
Roles
- Can call town meetings
- Depending on the size of the town, either directly or indirectly supervise town workers
- Propose budgets to town meetings
- Appoint department heads
Click here to see a recording of a real Board of Selectmen meeting from Freetown, MA in 2020 to get an idea of what role these people play!
Incorporation of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Officers in Local Governments
Following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, there was a call for cities and towns across Massachusetts to hire diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) officers. The role of these officers is to ensure the policies created and the communities being served by the town’s government are fair and equal to residents of all backgrounds and races. Many cities and towns have encountered serious tensions with the incorporation of DEI officers and it is important that we ask ourselves why.
Read the WGBH article to hear from several DEI officers, including Arlington, Worcester, Quincy, and Andover, who share the importance of their roles and the challenges that they have faced within local governments.
New diversity officers struggle to make an impact in Massachusetts cities and towns I WGBH
Mayors
Mayors are the chief executive official in many larger towns and cities. Often, smaller communities do not have mayors and function with the leadership of the Board of Selectmen.
Structure
- Depending on the location, mayors serve 2 or 4 year terms
Roles
- Oversee departments, like fire, education, and housing
- Often, the mayor is member of the city council and runs the meetings
- Depending on the town or city, the mayor may or may not have more power than the city council
- "State of the City Address"
- One duty of the Mayor of the city is to deliver the “State of the City Address”, much like the President’s “State of the Union Address”. This address is for the Mayor to speak on the achievements, problems, solutions, and next actions for the city. Watch the video to see the current Mayor of Boston, Michelle Wu, give her first State of the City address. LIVE: Boston Mayor Michelle Wu's First State of the City Address
Photo is Boston Mayor Michelle Wu
Michelle Wu | Boston.gov
Mayor Michelle Wu is Boston’s first person of color and woman to serve as mayor!
List of current Mayors in Massachusetts
Watch this video on the roles and responsibilities of mayors
Town Managers and Town Council
- Some towns may elect to appoint a town manager.
- Voters elect the Council and the Council appoints a City or Town Manager.
- Manager is chief executive, appoints key officials, prepares budget, approves contracts, negotiates with unions and oversees administration.
- The elected Council is the legislative body and adopts budgets, adopts laws (ordinances, bylaws, zoning, etc.), approves indebtedness (bonding), and may be empowered to approve or veto some Manager appointments.
- A town 'manager' is voting member of school committee but only on union contracts; a town 'administrator' sometimes serves in this role. A limited number of boards and/or commissions may be elected.
Here is a brief overview of the types of town and local governments that can be seen in Massachusetts.
Westborough Mass. Forms of Local Government.
Is local government in Massachusetts too pervasive? (Pioneer Institute)
The Evolution of Massachusetts Town Government, 1640 to 1740 (JSTOR, Kenneth A. Lockridge and Alan Kreide)
Play this game and run your own town! Adjust taxes, help citizens, and get re-elected in "Counties Work".
Pros and Cons
According to the Massachusetts Municipal Authority
Type of Town Government |
Mayor/Council |
Town Council/Town Manager |
Open Town Meeting/Selectmen Town Manager or Administrator |
Representative Town Meeting Selectmen/ Town Manager or Administrator |
Pros |
- Chief executive elected directly
- Small legislative body
- Frequent meeting of legislative body
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- Smaller legislative body
- Frequent meeting of legislative body
- Ability to establish experience and qualifications for chief executive
- Ability to remove appointed chief executive at any time by vote of elected council
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- Direct and broad citizen participation in government
- Ability to establish qualification for appointed chief executive
- Appointed executive can be removed at any time by elected board.
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- Somewhat larger (than Council) representative legislative body participates directly in government
- Legislative body more likely to be informed on issues than open town meeting
- Ability to establish qualifications for appointed chief executive
- Ability to remove appointed executive at any time by elected board
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Cons |
- Potential for political appointments to administrative positions
- Smaller citizen participation in decision-making
- Less potential for professional administration in technical areas
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- Smaller citizen participation in decision-making
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- Cumbersome decision making by legislative body
- Legislative body less likely to be knowledgeable on issues
- Shared executive authority between elected board and appointed manager can obscure responsibilities
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- Difficulty in achieving broad community representation, achieving quorums, and keeping the status of town meeting members up to date
- The size of the legislative body can present challenges in trying to educate and provide information to this group prior to the decision making process
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Notable Figures
Kenneth Reeves became the first African American and the first openly gay person elected mayor of ANY city in Massachusetts
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