Town Edition
Norfolk County
Needham, Massachusetts
The town you live in used to be almost twice this size. Until 1881, everything west of the Charles River was Needham too, until those neighborhoods voted to split off and become Wellesley. The Needham that remained, wrapped on three sides by the Charles, grew from a mill town that made Carter’s baby clothes into one of the most educated suburbs in the country. This guide shows you how Needham runs today: Town Meeting, the Select Board, the appointed Town Manager, the legislators who carry your voice to Boston and Washington, and the data behind it all.
The Needham 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.
Needham at a Glance
Sources: Massachusetts DESE, district profile · US Census Bureau (data.census.gov).
- County: Norfolk. Needham sits about ten miles southwest of Boston, nearly ringed by the Charles River, with Cutler Park protecting the largest freshwater marsh on the middle Charles.
- Government: representative Town Meeting with an elected five-member Select Board and an appointed Town Manager, Katie King, who has led the town since July 2025.
- Schools: Needham Public Schools, about 5,400 students across eight schools, led by Superintendent Daniel E. Gutekanst.
How Needham’s Government Works
Needham runs on a representative Town Meeting, an old New England form scaled up for a big town. Voters in each of the town’s ten precincts elect Town Meeting members, 240 in all, and those neighbors hold the final vote on the budget and the bylaws. Voters also elect a five-member Select Board to set policy and a School Committee to oversee the schools. The Select Board hires 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 Select Board sets direction, and the Town Manager carries it out.
Town Meeting
The legislative body. The 240 members, 24 elected from each of ten precincts, adopt the annual budget, pass town bylaws, and approve major spending. It is the closest thing to direct democracy at scale.
Select Board
Five members elected town-wide. They set policy, sign the Town Meeting warrant, appoint many boards, and hire and supervise the Town Manager.
Town Manager
The appointed chief administrator. Runs the departments, builds the budget, and answers to the Select Board. Hired under contract, not elected.
School Committee
Seven members, elected by the voters of the district the schools serve. It sets school policy, approves the school budget, and hires the Superintendent.
- Residents elect Town Meeting members, the five Select Board members, and the School Committee.
- The Select Board hires the Town Manager and sets town policy.
- Town Meeting votes the budget and the bylaws up or down.
- You take part: run for Town Meeting at 18, speak at a Select Board meeting, or testify at Town Meeting.
Explore the Needham Edition
- Town Manager’s OfficeThe town’s chief administrator
- Select BoardYour five board members
- School CommitteeSuperintendent & committee
- Town DepartmentsWho does what at Town Hall
- Boards & CommissionsWhere residents serve
- LegislatorsYour voice in Boston & D.C.
- Needham HistoryFrom Nehoiden’s land to a suburb
- DemographicsWho lives in Needham
- Non-ProfitsCommunity organizations
- Student DataNeedham Public Schools by the numbers
Civic Calendar
- Select Board: meets on scheduled weeknights, usually at 6 p.m., in the Select Board Chambers on the first floor of Town Hall, 1471 Highland Avenue, and the meetings are open to the public.
- Town Meeting: the representative Town Meeting holds its Annual session in the spring and can be called back in the fall for special business.
- Town elections: Needham votes in April. The 2026 Annual Town Election was held on April 14. The next is in April 2027.
- State and federal elections: even-numbered years. The 2026 primary and general are this fall.
Your County Officials
Two of the people with the most direct power over your life are elected countywide. The district attorney decides who gets charged with a crime, and what they get charged with. The sheriff runs the county jail. Both of them answer to the voters of Norfolk County, and that includes Needham. They appear on your ballot. Now you know what to look for.
Every county in Massachusetts elects its own, and the job is the same everywhere: the charging decisions, the jail. Look up any town in the state and see who holds these two offices there.
Your First Civic Action in Needham
Real influence in a town starts with showing up to the right room. Here is how to do it, step by step.
- Pick the right body. The Select Board sets town policy, the School Committee runs the schools, and Representative Town Meeting votes the budget and bylaws. Match your issue to the body that decides it.
- Find the meeting. Select Board agendas are posted in advance at needhamma.gov, and most meetings are hybrid, so you can attend in the Select Board Chambers or online.
- Know your members. Learn the five Select Board members and, for schools, the seven School Committee members before you go.
- Speak. Most meetings open with public comment. Say your name, your street, and what you want, in two minutes or less.
- Or skip the trip. Report a pothole, a broken light, or a missed pickup online through the town’s Report a Public Works Issue tool at needhamma.gov/3543/Report-a-Public-Works-Issue.
- Town Hall: 1471 Highland Avenue, Needham, MA 02492. Main line 781-455-7500.
- Select Board office and agendas: 781-455-7500, ext. 71204, or selectboard@needhamma.gov.
- Needham Public Schools: 781-455-0400, needham.k12.ma.us.
Local government works best when residents show up. Find your Select Board, speak at a meeting, or run for Town Meeting in your precinct.
Sources
This guide draws on public sources, refreshed July 2026: U.S. Census Bureau, Massachusetts DESE School and District Profiles, Massachusetts Legislature (malegislature.gov), and the official Needham government website.