Town Leadership
The Select Board’s Office
Three Executives, All of Them Elected
The Select Board as Executive
When a road goes unplowed in Montgomery, the response does not cross an administrator’s desk, because the town does not employ one. The three elected members of the Select Board, Michael Morrissey, Jacob Chapman, and Donald Washburn, run the town themselves. The town’s own description of the board is exact about this: it is the policy-making agency for the town, it holds all the executive powers the town can grant, it is the sole hiring authority, and it appoints residents to the many town boards, issues the town’s licenses, and prepares the Annual Report. Most Massachusetts towns of this shape hire a professional Town Administrator to carry the daily machinery; Montgomery keeps that machinery in the hands of the people it elects, and hires one administrative assistant to keep the office running. That changes what an election here means: when you vote for a Select Board member, you are not choosing someone to supervise a manager, you are choosing a working executive. The people who answer for the plowing schedule and the town budget sit at a public table at the Town Hall on Main Road every other Thursday evening at 7, and the seat across from them is open to any resident who walks in.
| Role | Select Board, the town’s executive and licensing authority |
|---|---|
| Selection | Three members elected town-wide to staggered three-year terms |
| Office | Town Hall, 161 Main Road, Montgomery, MA 01085 |
| Phone | (413) 862-3386, ext. 1 |
| Website | montgomeryma.gov |
What the Select Board’s Office Does
- Sets policy. The board is the town’s policy-making agency on the whole range of issues that affect Montgomery’s services and development.
- Builds the warrant. The board decides what reaches Town Meeting, signing the warrant for every Annual and Special Town Meeting.
- Recommends the budget. The board recommends the annual budget to the Annual Town Meeting, alongside the Finance Committee’s review, and Town Meeting holds the final vote.
- Hires and appoints. The board is the town’s sole hiring authority and appoints residents to serve on the town’s boards and commissions.
- Licenses. The board issues the town’s licenses and prepares the Annual Report, and it answers to Town Meeting, which in Montgomery means every registered voter who walks in.
The Office
- The office staff: Administrative Assistant Renee Carnevale runs the Select Board’s office day to day, and the office is at the Town Hall, 161 Main Road.
- Elected offices carry much of the work. Montgomery voters fill a long ballot of working offices each spring, among them the Assessors, Board of Health, Planning Board, and the town’s seats on the regional School Committee, so the executive branch here is a web of ballots, not one org chart.
- Boards and commissions, from the Conservation Commission to the Zoning Board of Appeals, are appointed by the Select Board and decide questions like wetlands, zoning, and public health.
Contact & Engage
- Town offices: Town Hall, 161 Main Road, with public office hours Tuesday and Thursday, 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
- Select Board’s office: (413) 862-3386, ext. 1.
- Report a problem: potholes, broken signs, and plowing go to the Highway Department, (413) 862-4037.
- Show up: the board meets every other Thursday at 7:00 PM at the Town Hall, 161 Main Road, and the public is welcome.
Want to weigh in on a town decision? Learn how to contact your officials so they actually hear you.