Town Government
Boards & Commissions
What Boards & Commissions Are
Beyond the Select Board and the school committees, much of Wrentham’s governing happens on volunteer boards and commissions. They approve new development, hear zoning appeals, protect the town’s wetlands and open space, weigh in on historic places, and guide services for residents. They are the rooms where an ordinary resident can have the most direct hand in a decision.
Who fills them is a real question here, and the charter answers it in three places. Voters ELECT the Select Board, the Moderator, the Wrentham Elementary School Committee, Wrentham’s members of the King Philip Regional School Committee, the Board of Assessors, the Board of Health, the Planning Board, the Library Trustees, four members of the Housing Authority, and constables. The SELECT BOARD appoints the Conservation Commission, the Zoning Board of Appeals, the Council on Aging, the Cultural Council and anything else the General Laws require of it. And the MODERATOR, alone, appoints the Finance Committee and the Capital Budget Planning Committee, which is why the people who scrutinise the town budget are chosen by the person who runs the meeting where it is voted.
Key Boards & Commissions
- Planning Board reviews subdivisions, site plans, and major development. Seven members, elected to three year terms. Chair Thomas Maloney.
- Zoning Board of Appeals hears variances and special permits. Appointed by the Select Board. Chair James Lawrence.
- Conservation Commission administers the Wetlands Protection Act, the Rivers Protection Act and Wrentham’s own wetlands bylaw, and manages the town’s conservation land. Seven voting members appointed to three year terms. Chairperson Leo Immonen. Meets the second and fourth Thursday at 7 pm.
- Finance Committee reviews the budget and moves most of the money articles at Town Meeting. Appointed by the Moderator. Chair Paul Malagrifa.
- Board of Health oversees inspections, septic rules and public health. Three members, elected to three year terms.
- Community Preservation Committee recommends how the town spends Community Preservation Act money on open space, historic preservation, community housing and recreation, and Town Meeting votes each one. Chair Robin Cuddy. Its fiscal 2027 debt payments cover the 2095 West Street land purchase and the Jane D’Amico Playground at the Rice Complex.
- Historical Commission works on the town’s historic places and preservation projects. Chair Gina Silarais.
- Open Space Committee works with the Conservation Commission on conservation restrictions and open space subdivisions. Chair Alan Selling.
- Cultural Council grants state arts money to local projects. Chair Eileen Ihrig.
- Housing Authority runs the town’s public housing at 1 Garden Lane. Four of its members are elected.
For the full roster, current members, vacancies, and schedules, see the town’s Boards & Committees page.
How to Serve
- Find an opening on the town’s Volunteer Opportunities page, which lists the boards taking applications.
- Submit the volunteer application to the Select Board office. The board advertises its openings on the town website and takes applications up to a stated meeting date.
- Come to the meeting. The board interviews applicants in open session, on the record.
- Serve: attend the public meetings and help make decisions for your town.
Here is what that looks like in practice. At its meeting of April 7, 2026 the Select Board interviewed Cindy Thompson in open session, read the Council on Aging’s own letter recommending her, and appointed her 5 to 0 to a term running to June 30, 2028. At the same meeting it filled three seats on a new Housing Production Plan Steering Committee, one each from the Zoning Board of Appeals, the Planning Board and the Select Board itself. Seats open, applications come in, and the vote happens in a room you can sit in.
What this seat decides
Your other boards
Board of Health. Tobacco and nicotine sales, flavored products, food permits, and housing conditions. It can pass a binding regulation on its own without a Town Meeting vote, which makes it the fastest lever in Massachusetts.
Planning Board. Where housing or businesses can be built, height limits, and a specific development. It holds the public hearing, and the zoning change itself is voted by Town Meeting or the Council and needs two thirds.
Conservation Commission. A stream, a wetland, a marsh, or a pond.
Library Trustees. Library hours, programs, and policy. The library's money comes from Town Meeting.
Parks and Recreation Commission. A field, a court, a playground, or a park. The money for building one usually comes from Town Meeting.
Historical Commission. An old building, and whether it can be torn down or saved.
Serving on a board is one of the most direct ways to shape Wrentham.