Town Leadership
The Select Board’s Office
Three Executives, All of Them Elected
The Select Board as Executive
When a road goes unplowed in Plainfield, the response does not cross an administrator’s desk, because the town does not employ one. The three elected members of the Select Board, chaired by Benjamin Gillett, 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 residents to the town’s boards and committees, recommends the budget to the Annual Town Meeting, oversees the town departments, and serves as the local licensing authority. Most Massachusetts towns of this shape hire a professional Town Administrator to carry the daily machinery. Plainfield keeps that machinery in the hands of the people it elects, with an Executive Assistant to handle the office paperwork. 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 person who answers for the plowing schedule and the next town budget sits at a public table at the Town Office on Tuesday evenings, and the seat across from them is open to any resident who walks in.
| Role | Select Board, the town’s chief executive and licensing authority |
|---|---|
| Selection | Three members elected town-wide to staggered three-year terms |
| Office | Town Office, 304 Main Street, Plainfield, MA 01070 |
| Phone | 413-634-5420 ext. 204 (Executive Assistant) |
| Website | plainfield-ma.us/select-board |
What the Select Board’s Office Does
- Sets policy. The board acts as the town’s primary policy-making body on the whole range of issues that affect Plainfield’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 local licensing authority, from alcohol and common victualler licenses to one day permits.
- Answers to Town Meeting. Major spending and bylaws still need the vote of Town Meeting, and in Plainfield that means every registered voter who walks in.
The Office
- The office staff: Executive Assistant to the Select Board Jessica Marshall runs the board’s office day to day and is the town’s officer and clerk for the board. She can be reached at 413-634-5420 ext. 204.
- Elected offices carry much of the work. Plainfield’s ballot fills a long list of working offices, among them the Moderator, Assessors, Board of Health, Planning Board, Tree Warden, and Library Trustees, so the executive branch here is a web of ballots, not one org chart.
- Boards and commissions, permanent and ad hoc, are appointed by the Select Board and decide questions like zoning, conservation, and historic preservation.
Contact & Engage
- Town Office: 304 Main Street, Plainfield, MA 01070, with in-person office hours that vary by office through the week.
- Select Board’s office: Executive Assistant Jessica Marshall, 413-634-5420 ext. 204.
- Report a problem: a pothole, a broken sign, or a plowing problem can go to the Town Office, which routes it to the department that owns the repair.
- Show up: the board meets on Tuesday evenings, 7:00 to 8:00 PM, at the Town Office, and the public is welcome.
Want to weigh in on a town decision? Learn how to contact your officials so they actually hear you.