Town Government
Petersham Select Board
About the Board
The Select Board is elected town-wide, so every Petersham voter helps choose all three members, and each serves a three-year term on a staggered schedule that puts a seat on the ballot most springs. The board sets town policy, signs the warrants that decide what Town Meeting gets to vote on, appoints residents to many town boards, and serves as the town’s chief executive, running the town’s business itself rather than through an appointed administrator. When a daily problem becomes town policy, this is the room where it happens.
- Sets policy and direction for the whole town, and serves as its licensing authority.
- Runs the town between meetings, supported by the board’s own office at Town Hall.
- Controls the warrant, deciding what business reaches Town Meeting for a vote.
Board Members
All three members are elected town-wide to staggered three-year terms. Two seats are filled now: the board’s officers, as the town posts them, are Deborah Poodry as Chair and Josh Chernin as Vice Chair. The third seat is currently open, and any registered voter of the town can run for it when it goes on the ballot.
Deborah Poodry
Josh Chernin
The town routes contact to board members through the Selectboard Office, which can be reached at 978-724-3353. The current roster is posted on the town website.
Meetings & How to Participate
- When: Thursday evenings at Petersham Town Hall. The town posts each agenda in advance.
- Agendas & minutes: posted on the town website at townofpetersham.gov and on the town’s meeting portal.
- 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.