Arlington, Massachusetts

On April 19, 1775, more people were killed on the road through your town than anywhere else on the first day of the American Revolution. Arlington was called Menotomy then, and the fight that swept down Massachusetts Avenue ended at the Jason Russell House, where you can still see the bullet holes. The town changed its name twice, shipped ice from Spy Pond as far as India, and just spent close to 290 million dollars rebuilding its high school. This guide shows you how Arlington runs today: Town Meeting, the Select Board, the appointed Town Manager, the legislators who carry your voice to Boston and Washington, and the data behind it all.

The Arlington Civics Handbook

A plain-language guide to how your town works: who represents you, how decisions get made, and how to make your voice heard. Read it online.

Read the Handbook →

Arlington at a Glance

46,308Residents (2020)

1807Incorporated

5Select Board Members

6,098Students

Sources: Massachusetts DESE, district profile · US Census Bureau (data.census.gov).

County: Middlesex. Arlington is a dense, walkable suburb just northwest of Cambridge, six square miles between the Mystic Lakes, Spy Pond, and the Alewife corridor.
Government: representative Town Meeting with an elected five-member Select Board and an appointed Town Manager, Jim Feeney, who has run the town since 2023.
Schools: Arlington Public Schools, about 6,100 students across eleven schools, led by Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Homan.

How Arlington’s Government Works

Arlington runs on a representative Town Meeting, an old New England form scaled up for a big town. Voters in each of the town’s 21 precincts elect Town Meeting members, 252 in all, and those neighbors hold the final vote on the budget and the bylaws. Voters also elect a five-member Select Board to set policy and a School Committee to oversee the schools. The Select Board hires a professional Town Manager to run the town day to day. So the levers are split on purpose: residents elect the people, Town Meeting votes the money, the Select Board sets direction, and the Town Manager carries it out.

Town Meeting

The legislative body. The 252 members elected from 21 precincts adopt the annual budget, pass town bylaws, and approve major spending. It is the closest thing to direct democracy at scale.

Select Board

Five members elected town-wide. They set policy, grant licenses, appoint many boards, and hire and supervise the Town Manager. There is no single elected chief executive.

Town Manager

The appointed chief administrator. Runs the departments, builds the budget, and answers to the Select Board. Hired under contract, not elected.

School Committee

Seven members, elected by the voters of the district the schools serve. It sets school policy, approves the school budget, and hires the Superintendent.

Residents elect Town Meeting members, the five Select Board members, and the School Committee.
The Select Board hires the Town Manager and sets town policy.
Town Meeting votes the budget and the bylaws up or down.
You take part: run for Town Meeting at 18, speak at a Select Board meeting, or testify at Town Meeting.

Explore the Arlington Edition

Civic Calendar

Select Board: meets on Monday evenings in the Select Board Chamber at Town Hall, 730 Massachusetts Avenue, and the meetings are open to the public.
Town Meeting: the representative Town Meeting holds its main session in the spring and can be called back in the fall for special business.
Town elections: Arlington votes in the spring. The 2026 town election was held in March. The next regular town election is in 2027.
State and federal elections: even-numbered years. The 2026 primary and general are this fall.

Your County Officials

Two of the people with the most direct power over your life are elected countywide. The district attorney decides who gets charged with a crime, and what they get charged with. The sheriff runs the county jail. Both of them answer to the voters of Middlesex County, and that includes Arlington. They appear on your ballot. Now you know what to look for.

District Attorney, Middlesex District

Marian T. Ryan

In office since 2012
Official site

Sheriff, Middlesex County

Peter J. Koutoujian

In office since 2011
Official site

Every county in Massachusetts elects its own, and the job is the same everywhere: the charging decisions, the jail. Look up any town in the state and see who holds these two offices there.

Officials for any Massachusetts town

Your First Civic Action in Arlington

Changing something in town is not a mystery. Here is the whole path, start to finish.

Pick the right body. A pothole or a park is a Select Board or department matter. A school rule is the School Committee. Money for either runs through the budget that Town Meeting votes.
Find the meeting. The Select Board meets on Monday evenings in the Select Board Chamber at Town Hall, 730 Massachusetts Avenue. Agendas are posted in advance at arlingtonma.gov.
Know your members. All five Select Board members are elected town-wide, so every one of them represents you, and 252 Town Meeting members are elected from your precinct.
Speak. Public comment is open to residents, and you do not have to be old enough to vote to use it. Say who you are, where you live, and what you want done.
Or skip the trip. Report a pothole, a broken streetlight, or a missed pickup online through Arlington’s Request/Answer Center at arlingtonma.gov/services/request-answer-center.

Town Hall: 730 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington, MA 02476.
Town Clerk & agendas: 781-316-3070, with agendas and meeting notices posted at arlingtonma.gov.
Public schools: Arlington Public Schools, 781-316-3501, arlington.k12.ma.us.

Local government works best when residents show up. Find your Select Board, speak at a Monday meeting, or run for Town Meeting in your precinct.

Meet Your Select Board

Take Action in Your Town

Sources

This guide draws on public sources, refreshed July 2026: U.S. Census Bureau, Massachusetts DESE School and District Profiles, Massachusetts Legislature (malegislature.gov), and the official Arlington government website.