Town Leadership
The Selectboard’s Office
Three Executives, All of Them Elected
The Selectboard as Executive
When a road goes unplowed in Warwick, the response does not cross an administrator’s desk, because the town does not employ one. The three elected members of the Selectboard, Chair Alan Genovese, Vice-Chair Keith Ross, and Clerk Brian Snell, 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, approves the reorganization of town departments, and serves as the town’s licensing authority. Most Massachusetts towns of this shape hire a professional Town Administrator to carry the daily machinery; Warwick keeps that machinery in the hands of the people it elects, with a part-time Town Coordinator staffing the office. That changes what an election here means: when you vote for a Selectboard 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 town budget sits at a public table on a Monday evening, and the seat across from them is open to any resident who walks in.
| Role | Selectboard, the town’s executive and licensing authority |
|---|---|
| Selection | Three members elected town-wide to staggered three-year terms |
| Office | Warwick Town Hall, 12 Athol Road, Warwick, MA 01378 |
| Phone | 978-544-6315 x3 |
| Website | warwickma.org |
What the Selectboard’s Office Does
- Sets policy. The board acts as the town’s primary policy-making body on the whole range of issues that affect Warwick’s development and services.
- 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 licensing authority, from common victuallers and lodging houses to alcohol licenses and special one day permits.
- Answers to Town Meeting. Major spending and bylaws still need the vote of Town Meeting, and in Warwick that means every registered voter who walks in.
The Administration
- The office staff: Town Coordinator Lizzie Alwan staffs the Selectboard’s office part time, with office hours Monday through Wednesday and Thursday mornings.
- Elected offices carry much of the work. The May 2026 town ballot filled a long list of working offices, among them the Moderator, Assessor, Board of Health, Constable, Library Trustees, Town Clerk, Highway Commissioner, Cemetery Commissioner, and Transfer Station Commissioner, 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 Selectboard and decide questions like zoning, conservation, and open space.
Contact & Engage
- Town offices: Warwick Town Hall, 12 Athol Road, with office hours staffed by the Town Coordinator on weekdays.
- Selectboard’s office: 978-544-6315 x3.
- Report a problem: potholes, broken signs, and plowing go to the Highway Department, 978-544-6349.
- Show up: the board meets about every two weeks on Monday evenings, and the public is welcome.
Want to weigh in on a town decision? Learn how to contact your officials so they actually hear you.