City Edition
Essex County
Beverly, Massachusetts
In the fall of 1775, before the United States had a navy, a Beverly schooner named the Hannah slipped out of the harbor under orders from George Washington to seize British supply ships. Beverly has called itself the Birthplace of America’s Navy ever since, and it has spent the centuries since being a place where ordinary people built big things: the first cotton mill in the country, a downtown movie palace, a working harbor that still launches fishing boats at dawn. This guide shows you how Beverly works today: the people who run the city, the boards that shape your block, the legislators who carry your voice to Boston and Washington, and the data behind it all.
The Beverly Civics Handbook
A plain-language guide to how your city works: who represents you, how decisions get made, and how to make your voice heard. Read it online.
Beverly at a Glance
Sources: Massachusetts DESE, district profile · US Census Bureau (data.census.gov).
- County: Essex. Beverly sits on the North Shore, across the Danvers River from Salem and about 25 miles north of Boston.
- Government: strong-mayor charter. Mayor Michael P. Cahill has led the city since 2014.
- Schools: Beverly Public Schools, about 4,500 students across eight schools, led by Superintendent Dr. Peter Cushing.
How Beverly’s Government Works
Beverly runs on a strong-mayor charter. Voters elect a Mayor to run the city and a nine-member City Council to make its laws, and they elect a School Committee to oversee the schools. The Mayor holds real executive power: appointing department heads, proposing the budget, and signing or vetoing what the Council passes.
The Mayor
The elected chief executive. Runs every department, appoints department heads and most board members, proposes the budget, and can veto Council ordinances.
City Council
The nine-member legislative body. Six councilors are elected by ward and three at large. The Council passes ordinances, sets the tax rate, and adopts the budget.
School Committee
Eight members elected by voters plus the Mayor as a member. It sets school policy, approves the school budget, and hires the Superintendent.
- Residents elect the Mayor, the nine councilors, and the School Committee.
- The Mayor runs the city day to day and proposes the budget.
- The Council votes the budget and the ordinances up or down, and can override a veto.
- You take part: public comment, board service, and a call to your ward councilor all shape what happens next.
Explore the Beverly Edition
- Mayor’s OfficeThe city’s chief executive
- City CouncilYour nine councilors
- School CommitteeSuperintendent & committee
- City DepartmentsWho does what at City Hall
- Boards & CommissionsWhere residents serve
- LegislatorsYour voice in Boston & D.C.
- Beverly HistoryFrom Roger Conant to the Birthplace of the Navy
- DemographicsWho lives in Beverly
- Non-ProfitsCommunity organizations
- Student DataBeverly Public Schools by the numbers
Civic Calendar
- City Council: meets the first and third Mondays at 7:00 PM in the Council Chambers at Beverly City Hall, 191 Cabot Street.
- School Committee: meets at City Hall, and its agendas are posted on the district website.
- Municipal elections: odd-numbered years. The Council and School Committee were last chosen in November 2025, when Mayor Cahill won the city’s first four-year term.
- 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 Essex County, and that includes Beverly. They appear on your ballot. Now you know what to look for.
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.
Your First Civic Action in Beverly
Changing something in your city is not a mystery. Here is the path from a problem on your street to the people who can fix it.
- Pick the right body. A pothole or a park is a City department. A new law, the budget, or the tax rate is the City Council. A question about your school is the School Committee.
- Find the meeting. The City Council meets the first and third Mondays at 7:00 PM at Beverly City Hall, 191 Cabot Street. Agendas are posted in advance.
- Know your councilors. Three are elected by the whole city and six represent single wards. Find your ward councilor and email or call them before the meeting.
- Speak. Most meetings include time for public comment. You do not have to be old enough to vote to stand up and be heard.
- Or skip the trip. Report a pothole, a broken light, or a missed pickup through the city’s online service-request tools at beverlyma.gov.
- City Hall: 191 Cabot Street, Beverly, MA 01915. Main line 978-921-6000.
- City Clerk & agendas: 978-605-2325, for meeting agendas, records, and voter registration.
- Beverly Public Schools: 978-921-6100, beverlyschools.org.
Local government works best when residents show up. Find your ward councilor, speak at a Monday meeting, or apply to serve on a board.
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 Beverly government website.