Town Government
Dennis Select Board
About the Board
The Select Board is elected town-wide, so every Dennis voter helps choose all five, and each serves a three-year term on a staggered schedule that puts a couple of seats on the ballot each spring. The board sets town policy, signs the warrants that decide what Town Meeting gets to vote on, appoints residents to many town boards, and hires and supervises the Town Administrator 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 Administrator and holds the administrator accountable.
- Controls the warrant, deciding what business reaches Town Meeting for a vote.
Board Members
All five members are elected town-wide. At the annual town election of May 12, 2026 the two open three-year seats went to Carlyn Carey with 1,129 votes and Paul McCormick with 1,065, out of 1,569 ballots cast. One week later, on May 19, the board reorganized and chose its own officers, each by a 5 to 0 vote: Carlyn Carey as Chair, Christopher Lambton as Vice Chair, James W. Plath as Licensing Chair, John Terrio as Vice Licensing Chair, and Paul McCormick as Clerk.
Carlyn Carey
Christopher Lambton
James W. Plath
John Terrio
Paul McCormick
The town routes contact to board members through the Select Board office at Town Hall, which can be reached at 508-760-6148. The member roster is posted at town.dennis.ma.us.
Meetings & How to Participate
- When: Tuesdays at 4:00 pm in the Stone Hearing Room at Dennis Town Hall, 685 Route 134, South Dennis, unless the agenda says otherwise.
- Agendas & minutes: posted in advance on the town website at town.dennis.ma.us, with minutes added once the board approves them.
- Public comment: the board opens with a public information period, and residents may address it there. 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.