Town Leadership
The Selectmen’s Office
Three Executives, All of Them Elected
The Board of Selectmen as Executive
When a road washes out in New Salem, the response does not cross an administrator’s desk, because the town does not employ one. The three elected members of the Board of Selectmen, Richard Taupier, Susan Cloutier, and Carl Seppala, run the town themselves. The Town Bylaws and the General Laws of Massachusetts grant the board broad powers to govern the town: it acts as the primary policy-making body, appoints the town’s boards and committees, recommends the budget to the Annual Town Meeting, approves the reorganization of town departments, and serves as the town’s licensing authority. A part-time Town Coordinator, Emily Hill, staffs the office and carries the daily paperwork, but the executive authority stays with the three people the voters elect. That changes what an election here means: when you vote for a member of the Board of Selectmen, 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 next town budget sit at a public table at 19 South Main Street at 7 on alternating Monday evenings, and the seat across from them is open to any resident who walks in.
| Role | Board of Selectmen, the town’s executive and licensing authority |
|---|---|
| Selection | Three members elected town-wide to staggered three-year terms |
| Office | 19 South Main Street, New Salem, MA 01355 |
| Phone | 978-544-6437 |
| Website | newsalemma.org |
What the Selectmen’s Office Does
- Sets policy. The board acts as the town’s primary policy-making body on the whole range of issues that affect New Salem’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.
- Licenses. The board is the town’s licensing authority, from common victuallers to special one-day permits.
- Answers to Town Meeting. Major spending and bylaws still need the vote of Town Meeting, and in New Salem that means every registered voter who walks in.
The Office
- The office staff: Town Coordinator Emily Hill runs the Selectmen’s office day to day at 24 South Main Street, keeping the records, agendas, and correspondence that the three elected members depend on.
- Elected offices carry much of the work. New Salem fills a range of town offices at the ballot box rather than by appointment, so the executive branch here is a web of elections, not one org chart.
- Boards and commissions, permanent and ad hoc, are appointed by the Board of Selectmen and decide questions like planning, conservation, and public health.
Contact & Engage
- Town offices: 19 and 24 South Main Street, New Salem, MA 01355.
- Board of Selectmen: 978-544-6437, with the roster and agendas at newsalemma.org.
- Report a problem: washed-out roads, broken signs, and plowing go to the Highway Department, 978-544-2303.
- Show up: the board meets at 7:00 PM on alternating Monday evenings at 19 South Main Street and on Zoom, and the public is welcome.
Want to weigh in on a town decision? Learn how to contact your officials so they actually hear you.