Bristol County
Somerset, Massachusetts
Photo: John Phelan, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Brayton Point burned coal at the southern tip of this town for fifty-four years. It was the largest coal-fired generating station in New England and the last one running anywhere in Massachusetts, it closed on May 31, 2017, and its two 497-foot cooling towers came down on April 27, 2019. The bill for running Somerset landed back on the people who live here, which makes the room where that bill gets voted the most useful room in town. That room is open. Somerset runs an open Town Meeting, so every registered voter is already a member, and at the annual town election on April 13, 2026 the 1,865 residents who cast a ballot filled every elected seat in town for all 15,209 who were registered. That is roughly one ballot in eight deciding for everyone, which tells you exactly what a single vote is worth here. This guide shows you how to use yours.
Somerset at a Glance
Sources: Massachusetts DESE, district profile · US Census Bureau (data.census.gov).
- County: Bristol. Somerset sits on the west bank of the Taunton River across from Fall River, with Swansea to the west, Dighton to the north, and Mount Hope Bay to the south. It covers 7.9 square miles of land and almost 4 more of water.
- Government: open Town Meeting, with an elected three-member Board of Selectmen and an appointed Town Administrator, Mark Ullucci.
- Schools: Somerset Public Schools runs four schools from pre-K through grade 8 for about 1,524 students, led by Superintendent Jeffrey Schoonover. The high school is shared with Berkley.
How Somerset’s Government Works
Somerset runs on an open Town Meeting, which means there are no elected Town Meeting members at all: every registered voter in Somerset is a member, and any of them can walk in, speak, and vote on the budget. Voters also elect a 3 member Board of Selectmen to set policy between meetings and the School Committee that oversees the schools. The Board of Selectmen hires a professional Town Administrator to run the town day to day. So the money is voted by whoever shows up, the direction is set by the Board of Selectmen, and the daily work is carried out by the Town Administrator.
Town Meeting
The legislative body, and it is not a committee. Every registered voter in Somerset is a member. Town Meeting adopts the annual budget, passes town bylaws, and approves major spending. This is direct democracy in its literal sense.
Board of Selectmen
3 members elected town-wide. They set policy, sign the warrants that decide what reaches Town Meeting, appoint residents to many town boards, and hire and supervise the Town Administrator.
Town Administrator
The appointed chief administrator. Runs the departments, builds the budget, and answers to the Board of Selectmen. Hired under contract, not elected.
School Committee
5 members, elected by the voters of the district the schools serve. It sets school policy, approves the school budget, and hires the Superintendent.
- Residents elect the 3 members of the Board of Selectmen and the School Committee.
- The Board of Selectmen hires the Town Administrator and decides what goes on the Town Meeting warrant.
- Town Meeting votes the budget and the bylaws, and every registered voter present can vote.
- You take part: register at 16, vote at 18, and once you are registered you are already a member of Town Meeting.
Civic Calendar
- Board of Selectmen: meets on Thursday evenings, usually twice a month, at the Somerset Public Library, 1464 County Street. Each agenda is posted by 3 pm on the Friday before, and anything a resident wants added is due in the office by noon that same Friday.
- Town Meeting: the Annual Town Meeting is held in the spring, and the town can call a Special Town Meeting when business cannot wait. The Board of Selectmen signs the warrant that decides what is on it.
- Town elections: the Annual Town Election is held on the second Monday of April, with the polls open from noon to 8 pm. Every precinct votes at the Somerset Berkley Regional High School student dining hall. The 2026 election was April 13.
- State and federal elections: even-numbered years. The 2026 state primary is September 1.
Explore the Somerset Edition
- Town Administrator’s OfficeThe town’s chief administrator
- Board of SelectmenYour three board members
- School CommitteeSuperintendent & committee
- Town DepartmentsWho does what at Town Hall
- Boards & CommissionsWhere residents serve
- LegislatorsYour voice in Boston & D.C.
- Somerset HistoryShawomet, Slade’s Ferry, and the coal port
- DemographicsWho lives in Somerset
- Non-ProfitsCommunity organizations
- Student DataSomerset Public Schools by the numbers
Your County Officials
Two of the people with the most direct power over your life are elected countywide. The district attorney decides who gets charged with a crime, and what they get charged with. The sheriff runs the county jail. Both of them answer to the voters of Bristol County, and that includes Somerset. They appear on your ballot. Now you know what to look for.
Every county in Massachusetts elects its own, and the job is the same everywhere: the charging decisions, the jail. Look up any town in the state and see who holds these two offices there.
Your First Civic Action in Somerset
You do not have to wait until you can vote to be heard in your own town. Here is how to take a real concern to the people who decide.
- Pick the right body. Town policy, roads, and police or fire go to the Board of Selectmen. Schools go to the School Committee. The budget and bylaws are voted by Town Meeting.
- Find the meeting. The Board of Selectmen meets Thursday evenings at the Somerset Public Library, 1464 County Street, and every agenda is posted by 3 pm the Friday before.
- Know your members. All three Board of Selectmen members are elected town-wide, so every one of them answers to you.
- Speak. Meetings are open to the public and residents may address the board. Check the agenda for how to sign up.
- Or skip the trip. Report a pothole, a broken light, or a snow-covered street to the Highway Department, which is the department that owns the repair.
- Town Hall: 140 Wood Street, Somerset, MA 02726. Town Administrator’s office 508-646-2800.
- Town Clerk & agendas: 508-646-2818, with meeting agendas and minutes posted at townofsomerset.org.
- Public schools: Somerset Public Schools, 508-324-3100, somersetschools.org.
Local government works best when residents show up. Find your Board of Selectmen, speak at a Thursday meeting, or simply register to vote and take your seat at Town Meeting.