View the Saugus HandbookEssex County
Saugus, Massachusetts
Everything you need to understand and take part in local government in Saugus — the people who run the town, the boards that shape your neighborhood, the legislators who carry your voice to Boston and Washington, and the data that tells Saugus’s story. Settled in 1629 on the banks of the Saugus River, the town was home to the first integrated ironworks in North America and remains a close-knit community just north of Boston.
Saugus at a Glance
- County: Essex — on the Saugus and Pines rivers, about 10 miles north of Boston.
- Government: Representative Town Meeting with an elected Board of Selectmen and an appointed Town Manager, Scott C. Crabtree.
- Schools: Saugus Public Schools — roughly 2,400 students, led by Superintendent Michael C. Hashem.
The Saugus 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 free online.
How Saugus’s Government Works
Saugus governs itself under a special-act charter it adopted in 1947, which established a “representative” Town Meeting. Voters in each of the town’s ten precincts elect Town Meeting Members and a five-member Board of Selectmen. The Selectmen appoint a professional Town Manager to run the town day to day, while the big decisions — budgets, bylaws, and zoning — are made by Town Meeting.
Town Manager
The chief administrative officer, appointed by and accountable to the Selectmen. Runs all departments, prepares the budget, and carries out town policy.
Board of Selectmen
The five-member elected board that sets policy, hires the Town Manager, grants licenses, and represents the town.
Town Meeting
Fifty elected Town Meeting Members — five from each precinct — act as the town’s legislature, adopting the budget and bylaws.
- Residents elect the five Selectmen and 50 Town Meeting Members at the town election every two years.
- The Selectmen hire a Town Manager to administer the town.
- Town Meeting decides — voting the budget, bylaws, and zoning each spring.
- You take part — speak up, serve on a board, or contact your precinct’s Town Meeting Members.
Civic Calendar
- Board of Selectmen: meets about twice a month on Tuesday evenings at 7 p.m. in the Town Hall Auditorium, 298 Central Street.
- Annual Town Meeting: convenes the first Monday in May; Special Town Meetings are called as needed.
- Town elections: odd-numbered years (next November 2027) — Selectmen, School Committee, and Town Meeting seats.
- State & federal elections: even-numbered years — the 2026 primary and general are this fall.
Town Government
Community & Data
Local government works best when residents show up. Find your Town Meeting Members, speak at a meeting, or apply to serve on a board.