Town Government
Boards & Commissions
What Boards & Commissions Are
Beyond the Select Board and the School Committee, most of Tyngsborough’s governing happens on volunteer boards and commissions. They approve new development, hear zoning appeals, protect the town’s wetlands and open space, weigh in on historic places, and guide services for residents. They are the rooms where an ordinary resident can have the most direct hand in a decision, and the town keeps a Committee Vacancies page precisely because seats keep opening.
Who seats them is a real question here, and the 2022 Town Manager Act answers half of it. Section 3(A)(iii) reserves ten appointments to the Select Board: town counsel, the town accountant, the Board of Registrars, the Zoning Board of Appeals, certain Community Preservation Committee seats, the Conservation Commission, the Historical Commission, the Cultural Council, the Recreation Commission and the Council on Aging. The other half is answered by the ballot. In May 2026 Tyngsborough voters elected members to eleven bodies: the Select Board, the Board of Assessors, the Board of Health, the Sewer Commission, the Finance Committee, the Board of Library Trustees, the Housing Authority, the Planning Board, the School Committee, the Moderator’s chair and the Tree Warden.
Key Boards & Commissions
- Planning Board reviews subdivisions, site plans, and major development. Elected. Chair David E. Robson, Vice Chair Jeremy Baldwin.
- Zoning Board of Appeals hears variances and special permits. Appointed by the Select Board. Chair Douglas Latulippe.
- Conservation Commission protects Tyngsborough’s wetlands, rivers, and open space. Appointed by the Select Board. Chair Ed Derby, Vice Chair Joseph Kablik.
- Finance Committee reviews the budget and advises Town Meeting on spending. Elected. Chair Lawrence G. Clawson, Jr.
- Board of Health oversees inspections, clinics, and public health rules. Elected. Chair Michael-Ryan Roache, Vice Chair Sheila Perrault.
- Community Preservation Committee recommends how the town spends its Community Preservation Act money on open space, historic preservation, recreation and affordable housing, and Town Meeting votes each project. Nine seats, six of them filled by the boards that send a representative and three by residents at large.
- Historical Commission works on the town’s historic places and keeps its records in the old Littlefield Library. Chair Warren Allgrove, Jr., Vice Chair Marie Lambert.
- Housing Authority runs the town’s public housing at 198 Middlesex Road. Elected, with one seat filled by a tenant.
- Sustainability Committee works on the town’s energy and waste. Chair Diana Keohane, Vice Chair Kristen Keegan.
- Council on Aging guides the Center for Active Living. Appointed by the Select Board. Chair Dianne Larose, Vice Chair Cheri Meuse.
For the full roster, current members, vacancies, and schedules, see tyngsboroughma.gov.
How to Serve
- Find an opening on the town’s Committee Vacancies page, which the town keeps for exactly this purpose.
- Submit a letter of interest or an application to the Town Manager’s Office at 978-649-2300 ext. 100.
- Interview if asked, and await appointment.
- Serve: attend the public meetings and help make decisions for your town. Tyngsborough’s remote participation policy lets any member of the public take an active part in any meeting, so distance is not the obstacle it used to be.
Some of these seats are easier to win than a first reading suggests. In the May 2026 election several offices drew no contest at all: the Assessor’s seat, the Sewer Commission seat, the Tree Warden’s job and one Board of Health seat each had a single name on the ballot. A Finance Committee seat and a Housing Authority seat drew more write-in votes than votes for the printed candidate. If you want a say in how this town spends its money, that is where the door is widest.
Serving on a board is one of the most direct ways to shape Tyngsborough.