Town Government
Williamstown Select Board
About the Board
The Select Board is elected town-wide, so every Williamstown voter helps choose all five, and the charter gives each a three-year term on a staggered schedule that puts a couple of seats on the ballot every spring. The board is the town’s executive leadership. It appoints the Town Manager who runs the town day to day, it appoints boards of its own like the Community Preservation Committee and the Affordable Housing Trust, and it signs the warrants that decide what Town Meeting gets to vote on. When a daily problem becomes town policy, this is the room where it happens.
- Sets policy and direction for the whole town.
- Hires the Town Manager and can end that appointment at its pleasure.
- Controls the warrant, deciding what business reaches Town Meeting for a vote.
Board Members
All five members are elected town-wide. After each annual town election the board reorganizes and chooses its own officers. As the town’s own Select Board page lists them, Peter Beck serves as Chair, Matthew Neely as Vice Chair, and Shana Dixon as Secretary, alongside members Stephanie Boyd and Nate Budington.
Peter Beck
Matthew Neely
Shana Dixon
Stephanie Boyd
Nate Budington
The town routes contact to board members through the Select Board office at Town Hall, which can be reached at (413) 458-3500. The member roster is posted at williamstownma.gov.
Meetings & How to Participate
- When: most Monday evenings at 7:00 pm at Town Hall, 31 North Street, in person and online. The town posts each agenda in advance.
- Agendas & minutes: posted at williamstownma.gov, where you can also find the meeting calendar.
- Watch: meetings are carried live by WilliNet, the local community media station, on Spectrum TV Channel 1303 and streamed and archived at WilliNet.org.
- Public comment: residents may address the board. Check the agenda for the procedure.
- Town Meeting: for the budget and bylaws, the deciding vote belongs to the registered voters in the hall, which can include you.
Public hearings and meetings are where residents shape town decisions.