Town Government
Boards & Commissions
What Boards & Commissions Are
Westwood publishes its boards in three alphabetical lists, and reading through them is the fastest way to understand how much of this town is run by volunteers. They approve new development, hear zoning appeals, protect the wetlands, advise Town Meeting on every dollar in the budget, guide services for older residents, and steer projects like the Islington Center redevelopment and the new Fire Station 1. They are the rooms where an ordinary resident can have the most direct hand in a decision.
Most members are appointed by the Select Board and serve fixed terms, and the town also publishes separate lists of the officials appointed by the Town Moderator and by the Town Administrator. The meetings are public, and seats open up regularly.
Key Boards & Commissions
- Finance & Warrant Commission reviews the budget and advises Town Meeting on every article. At the 2026 Annual Town Meeting its recommendation of indefinite postponement carried Article 16.
- Planning Board reviews subdivisions, site plans, and major development. It is elected, not appointed, and two of its seats were on the 2026 ballot.
- Zoning Board of Appeals hears variances and special permits.
- Board of Health sets local health regulations and oversees inspections, permits and public health nursing.
- Conservation Commission protects Westwood’s wetlands, streams and open space, with staff support from the Conservation and Stormwater Management Division.
- Historical Commission works on the town’s historic places and records.
- Commission on Disability works on equal access across the town.
- Council on Aging guides the Senior Center and services for older residents.
- Charter Review Committee looks at the town’s own Home Rule Charter, which is the document that created this form of government.
For the full roster, current members, vacancies, and schedules, see townhall.westwood.ma.us.
Elected, Not Appointed
Some Westwood boards you do not apply to. You run for them. The April ballot fills the Select Board, the School Committee, the Planning Board, the Board of Assessors, the Library Trustees, the Sewer Commission, the Housing Authority, the Town Moderator and the Town Clerk. In 2026 the Housing Authority seat drew no candidate at all and was decided entirely on write-in votes, which is a real thing that happens in a town election and a real opening for anyone who wants one. On April 28, 2026, 2,786 of Westwood’s 12,840 registered voters cast a ballot, about 22 percent, and that group filled all thirteen seats on the ballot, from the Select Board to the Sewer Commission, in a single day. Divide it out and one Westwood ballot was doing a lot of work.
How to Serve
- Find an opening on the town’s boards and committees pages.
- Submit a letter of interest or the town’s Serve on a Board or Committee form to the Select Board office.
- Interview if asked, and await appointment by the Select Board.
- Serve: attend the public meetings and help make decisions for your town.
Serving on a board is one of the most direct ways to shape Westwood.