Town Leadership
The Board of Selectmen’s Office
Three Executives, All of Them Elected
The Board of Selectmen as Executive
When a road goes unplowed in Wales, the response does not cross an administrator’s desk, because the town does not employ one. The three elected members of the Board of Selectmen, Michael J. Valanzola, Robyn A. Chrabascz, and Ricky J. Simoneau, 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 the town’s boards and committees, recommends the budget to the Annual Town Meeting, provides oversight of town departments, and serves as the licensing authority for the town. Most Massachusetts towns of this shape hire a professional Town Administrator to carry the daily machinery; Wales keeps that machinery in the hands of the people it elects, with an executive secretary in the office to handle the paperwork. That changes what an election here means: when you vote for a Board of Selectmen 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 annual budget sits at a public table at the Town Offices on Hollow Road, and the seat across from them is open to any resident who walks in.
| Role | Board of Selectmen, the town’s executive and licensing authority |
|---|---|
| Selection | Three members elected town-wide to staggered three-year terms |
| Office | 3 Hollow Road, PO Box 834, Wales, MA 01081 |
| Phone | 413-245-7571 Ext. 100 |
| Website | townofwales.net |
What the Selectmen’s Office Does
- Sets policy. The board acts as the town’s primary policy-making body on the whole range of issues that affect Wales’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 and appoints. The board is the town’s licensing authority and appoints residents to the boards and committees that are not filled at the ballot box.
- Answers to Town Meeting. Major spending and bylaws still need the vote of Town Meeting, and in Wales that means every registered voter who walks in.
The Administration
- The office staff: Executive Secretary Pamela A. Leduc runs the Board of Selectmen’s office day to day, and the office is open to the public Monday through Thursday, 9:00 to 3:00.
- Elected offices carry much of the work. The town ballot fills a long list of working offices, among them the Board of Assessors, the Board of Health, the Planning Board, the Town Clerk, the Library Trustees, the Cemetery Commissioner, and a Constable, 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 Board of Selectmen and decide questions like zoning, conservation, and historic preservation.
Contact & Engage
- Town offices: 3 Hollow Road, with public office hours Monday through Thursday, 9:00 to 3:00.
- Board of Selectmen’s office: 413-245-7571 Ext. 100, select@townofwales.net.
- Report a problem: potholes, broken signs, and plowing go to the Department of Public Works, 413-245-7494.
- Show up: the board meets monthly at 6:00 PM at the Town Offices on Hollow Road, and the public is welcome.
Want to weigh in on a town decision? Learn how to contact your officials so they actually hear you.