Town Leadership
The Selectboard’s Office
Three Executives, All of Them Elected
The Selectboard as Executive
When a road goes unplowed in Worthington, the response does not cross an administrator’s desk, because the town does not employ one. The three elected members of the Selectboard, Charley Rose, Amy Wang, and Deb Rocque, 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, oversees the town departments, and serves as the licensing authority for the town, from common victuallers to one-day permits. Most Massachusetts towns of this shape hire a professional Town Administrator to carry the daily machinery. Worthington keeps that machinery in the hands of the people it elects, working through an executive assistant in the Selectboard 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 next budget sits at a public table at Town Hall on Tuesday evenings, 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 | 160 Huntington Road, PO Box 247, Worthington, MA 01098 |
| Phone | (413) 238-5577 ext. 100 |
| Website | worthington-ma.us |
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 Worthington’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 licensing authority for the town, from common victuallers and alcohol to special one-day permits.
- Answers to Town Meeting. Major spending and bylaws still need the vote of Town Meeting, and in Worthington that means every registered voter who walks in.
The Office
- The office staff: Executive Assistant Peggy O’Neal runs the Selectboard office day to day, and the office is open to the public Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday 10:00 to 5:00 and Wednesday 1:00 to 6:00.
- Elected offices carry much of the work. The May 2026 town ballot filled offices from Moderator and Assessor to Board of Health, Planning Board, Cemetery Commissioner, Tree Warden, Constable, and the Finance and School Committees, so the executive work here is spread across 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 historic preservation.
Contact & Engage
- Town offices: 160 Huntington Road, PO Box 247, with public office hours Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday 10:00 to 5:00 and Wednesday 1:00 to 6:00.
- Selectboard office: (413) 238-5577 ext. 100, selectboard@worthington-ma.us.
- Report a problem: potholes, broken signs, and plowing go to the Highway Department, (413) 238-5830.
- Show up: the board meets Tuesday evenings at 6:30 PM at Town Hall, and the public is welcome.
Want to weigh in on a town decision? Learn how to contact your officials so they actually hear you.