Town Government
North Reading Select Board
About the Board
These five people are the chief elected officers of the Town, and the town charter says so in exactly those words. The Select Board is elected town-wide, so every North Reading voter helps choose all five, and each serves a three year term on a staggered schedule that puts a seat or two on the ballot each spring. The board enacts rules and regulations, sets town policy, calls the elections, prepares the Town Meeting warrant, recommends the annual budget, licenses the restaurants and the liquor stores, makes appointments to town boards and committees, and appoints 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.
- Appoints the Town Administrator and supervises the office.
- Controls the warrant, deciding what business reaches Town Meeting for a vote.
- Appoints residents to many of the town’s boards and committees, including North Reading’s seat on the Reading Municipal Light Department Citizens’ Advisory Board.
Board Members
All five members are elected town-wide. After each annual town election the board reorganizes and votes for its own officers, in public, by roll call. At the reorganization meeting on May 6, 2026 it elected Richard F. Wallner as Chair by a unanimous 5 to 0, Catherine A. Morrin as Vice Chair by 4 to 1, and Charles B. Tyler, the newest member, as Clerk.
Richard F. Wallner
Catherine A. Morrin
Charles B. Tyler
Stephen J. O’Leary
Nicholas Masse
The town routes contact to board members through the Select Board office, which can be reached at 978-664-6010. Mail reaches the members at Town Hall, 235 North Street, and the current roster is posted at northreadingma.gov.
Meetings & How to Participate
- When: typically the first and third Monday of the month at Town Hall, 235 North Street. The town posts each agenda in advance.
- Agendas & minutes: posted on the town website at northreadingma.gov, with the archive in the town’s Document Center.
- Public comment: residents may address the board. 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.