Town Government
Dedham Select Board
About the Board
The Select Board is the chief executive board of the town, and its powers are written into the Town Charter at Section 3-2: it formulates policy for all town agencies, oversees licensing, and makes appointments to town offices, boards, and committees. All five members are elected town-wide to three-year terms, staggered so that seats come onto the ballot every April. The board also signs the warrants that decide what Town Meeting gets to vote on, and it hires and supervises the Town Manager who runs the town day to day. 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 holds the manager accountable.
- Controls the warrant, deciding what business reaches Town Meeting for a vote.
Board Members
All five members are elected town-wide, and the board reorganizes after each April election. On April 16, 2026, days after the town election, Town Clerk Paul Munchbach swore in Stephen Acosta for his first term and Michelle Persson Reilly for a full term, and the board unanimously elected James A. MacDonald as Chair and Dimitria Sullivan as Vice Chair.
James A. MacDonald
Dimitria Sullivan
Erin Boles Welsh
Michelle Persson Reilly
Stephen Acosta
To reach the whole board, email selectboard@dedhamma.gov. The current roster and agendas are posted at dedhamma.gov.
Meetings & How to Participate
- When: typically the second and fourth Thursdays of each month at 6:30 pm, at Town Hall, 450 Washington Street, in hybrid sessions with a Zoom option.
- Agendas & minutes: posted at Town Hall and the Dedham Public Library at least 48 hours before each meeting, and on the town website, where the board also publishes plain-language meeting recaps.
- 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 representative Town Meeting members elected from your precinct.
Sources
Dedham Select Board (dedhamma.gov). Verified August 2026.
The town’s own April 16, 2026 meeting recap (reorganization vote), posted April 24, 2026. Verified August 2026.
What this seat decides
Your Select Board
Streets and sidewalks, licenses, a crosswalk or a speed limit, and how something gets onto the Town Meeting warrant. Ask the engineering department who owns the road before you write: a numbered state route is MassDOT's rather than your town's, and your State Representative is who can ask them. It runs the town day to day, or hires the Town Manager or Town Administrator who does, and new bylaws are voted by Town Meeting rather than by the board.
Public hearings and meetings are where residents shape town decisions.