Middlesex County
Dracut, Massachusetts
Your town started as a fishing ground the Pennacook called Augumtoocooke, was carved out of Chelmsford in 1701, and twice watched the growing city of Lowell annex pieces of its land in the 1800s. Today more than 32,000 people live here, which makes Dracut one of the largest communities in Massachusetts still run entirely by open Town Meeting, the form of government where any registered voter can walk in and vote the town budget up or down. This guide shows you how Dracut works now: Town Meeting, the Board of Selectmen, the appointed Town Manager, the legislators who carry your voice to Boston and Washington, and the data behind it all.
The Dracut 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.
Dracut at a Glance
- County: Middlesex. Dracut sits on the north bank of the Merrimack River, just above Lowell, at the New Hampshire line.
- Government: open Town Meeting with an elected five-member Board of Selectmen and an appointed Town Manager, Kate Hodges, who has run the town since early 2025.
- Schools: Dracut Public Schools, about 3,456 students across six schools, led by Superintendent Steven Stone.
How Dracut’s Government Works
Dracut has no mayor. It runs on open Town Meeting, the oldest form of government in New England, where the legislature is not a small elected council but the residents themselves. Any registered voter can attend, speak, and vote on the town budget and the bylaws. Voters also elect a five-member Board of Selectmen to set policy and a School Committee to oversee the schools. The Selectmen hire 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 Selectmen set direction, and the Town Manager carries it out.
Town Meeting
The legislative body. Every registered voter in Dracut may attend, debate, and vote the annual budget, the bylaws, and major spending. It is direct democracy, still in use.
Board of Selectmen
Five members elected town-wide. They set policy, appoint many boards, and hire and supervise the Town Manager. There is no single chief executive.
Town Manager
The appointed chief administrator. Runs the departments, builds the budget, and answers to the Selectmen. Hired under contract, not elected.
School Committee
Five members elected town-wide. It sets school policy, approves the school budget, and hires the Superintendent.
- Residents elect the five Selectmen and the five School Committee members, and every registered voter is a member of Town Meeting.
- The Selectmen hire the Town Manager and set town policy.
- Town Meeting votes the budget and the bylaws up or down.
- You take part: vote at Town Meeting, run for Selectman or School Committee at 18, or speak at a Tuesday board meeting.
Civic Calendar
- Board of Selectmen: meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. in the Selectmen’s Chambers on the lower level of Town Hall, 62 Arlington Street, and the meetings are open to the public.
- Town Meeting: the open Town Meeting gathers in the spring and can be called back in the fall for special business.
- Town elections: Dracut votes in May. The next annual town election is in May 2027.
- State and federal elections: even-numbered years. The 2026 primary and general are this fall.
Town Government
Community & Data
Your First Civic Action in Dracut
Town government can feel like a closed door, but in Dracut the door is a Tuesday night meeting anyone can walk into. Here is how to make your first move count.
- Pick the right body. Money and town policy go to the Board of Selectmen and, for the budget and bylaws, to open Town Meeting. Anything about your school goes to the School Committee.
- Find the meeting. The Selectmen meet the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. in the Selectmen’s Chambers on the lower level of Town Hall, 62 Arlington Street. Agendas are posted in advance at dracutma.gov.
- Know your selectmen. All five are elected town-wide: Don Plummer, Tony Archinski, Kristie Wohlander, Heather Santiago-Hutchings, and Josh Taylor.
- Speak. Most meetings open with public input. You do not need to be old enough to vote to stand up and be heard.
- Town Hall: 62 Arlington Street, Dracut, MA 01826. Town Manager’s office 978-452-1227.
- Town Clerk & agendas: elections and records through the Town Clerk at 978-453-0951, with meeting agendas posted at dracutma.gov.
- Public schools: Dracut Public Schools, 978-957-2660, dracutps.org.
Local government works best when residents show up. Find your Board of Selectmen, speak at a Tuesday meeting, or vote at Town Meeting.