Town Government
Cohasset Select Board
About the Board
The Select Board is elected town-wide, so every Cohasset voter helps choose all five, and the charter gives each a three-year term on a staggered schedule that puts a couple of seats on the ballot every spring. The charter also calls this board the chief policy making board of the town. It appoints the Town Manager who runs the town day to day, it appoints Town Counsel, the Conservation Commission, the Board of Appeals and most other town boards, and it signs the warrants that decide what Town Meeting gets to vote on. When a daily problem becomes town policy, this is the room where it happens.
- Sets policy and direction for the whole town.
- Hires the Town Manager and can end that appointment at its pleasure.
- Controls the warrant, deciding what business reaches Town Meeting for a vote.
Board Members
All five members are elected town-wide to staggered three-year terms, so a couple of seats are on the ballot every spring. After each annual town election the board reorganizes and chooses its own officers. The May 9, 2026 election filled two three-year seats and one two-year seat, and the board’s current officers are David Farrag as Chair, Ellen M. Maher as Vice Chair, and William A. Ashton as Clerk, with Paul L. Grady, Jr. and Gregory B. Watts serving as members.
David Farrag
Ellen M. Maher
William A. Ashton
Paul L. Grady, Jr.
Gregory B. Watts
The town routes contact to board members through the Select Board office at Town Hall, 41 Highland Avenue, reachable at 781-383-4100. The member roster is posted at cohassetma.gov.
Meetings & How to Participate
- When: every other Tuesday evening at Willcutt Commons, 91 Sohier Street. The town posts each agenda in advance.
- Agendas & minutes: posted on the town’s Agenda Center at cohassetma.gov, and you can sign up for an alert when a new one goes up.
- Watch: meetings are streamed and archived online through the town’s website.
- Public comment: residents may address the board. Check the agenda for the procedure.
- Town Meeting: for the budget and bylaws, the deciding vote belongs to the registered voters in the hall, which can include you.
Public hearings and meetings are where residents shape town decisions.
MassCivics last checked this page on October 14, 2026.
Sources
- Town records: Town of Cohasset, Cohasset Select Board, as of March 6, 2026.
- Town records: Town of Cohasset, Staff Directory, as of October 2026.
- Town Clerk records: Town of Cohasset, Annual Town Election, May 9, 2026, Official Results, as of May 9, 2026.