Bylaws of the Massachusetts Selectmen’s Association
An affiliate of the Massachusetts Municipal Association
Approved as amended January 25, 2020

ARTICLE 1
NAME
The organization shall be called the Massachusetts Select Board Association.

ARTICLE II
PURPOSE
The Association shall be non-partisan and shall provide members with professional support in performance of their responsibilities, encouraging best practices in municipal administration and promoting mutuality of interests. The Association shall not discriminate with regard to race, color, creed, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, sex or age.

ARTICLE III
MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Active members shall be those Select Board Members, Selectmen, or other elected officials with a different title who have the powers and duties given to the members of a “board of selectmen” as that term is used in the Massachusetts General Law (hereinafter “Select Board Members”) in towns that are members in good standing of the Massachusetts Municipal Association.

Section 2. Dues for each town shall be set by and payable to the Massachusetts Municipal Association.

ARTICLE IV
OFFICERS

Section l. Officers shall be President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, and Secretary, whose terms shall be one year. They shall be sitting Select Board Members representing member towns. The officers shall be elected by plurality vote at the Annual Meeting to serve for one year or until their successors are elected. Their terms of office shall begin at the close of the Annual Meeting at which they are elected.

Section 2. The President shall set the agenda, make appointments, call and preside over all meetings of both the Association and its Executive Board.

Section 3. The First Vice President shall act in the absence of the President.

Section 4. The Second Vice President shall act in the absence of both the President and First Vice President.

Section 5. The Secretary shall serve on the Executive Board and as Clerk of the Association. The Secretary shall ensure that all records, minutes and archives are permanently maintained.

Section 6. The President, First Vice President and Second Vice President also serve on the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Municipal Association.

Section 7. In the event that the President is unable or unwilling to serve a complete term, and the First Vice President and Second Vice President also decline, a President pro-tem shall be appointed by the Executive Board to serve until the next Annual Election.

ARTICLE V
EXECUTIVE BOARD

Section 1. The Executive Board shall be composed of nine or more members to include the elected officers, five district representatives, the two most recent past presidents of the Association, and such county or regional association representatives as are elected to serve. In the event that any of the past presidents is unable or unwilling to serve, the next most recent shall be invited until there is a full complement of two. Membership on the Executive Board shall be limited to members of the Association.

a. Any county or regional Selectmen’s Association may, in accordance with its bylaws, nominate a representative to serve on the Executive Board of the Association, subject to a vote of either the Annual Meeting or the Executive Board following the nomination.

Section 2. The Executive Board shall set policy, have general supervision of the affairs of the Association, and be empowered to make decisions for the Association. The membership shall receive timely notification of such action. Members of the Board are expected to participate in all meetings and electronic discussions.

Section 3. The President shall convene a minimum of four meetings each year, one of which shall be called no later than sixty days following the Annual Meeting. Additional meetings may be called at the discretion of the President. Notice and agenda together with the minutes of the prior meeting shall be sent to Executive Board members at a minimum of two days prior to the meeting.

Section 4. A quorum shall be five members of the Executive Board, of which at least four must be serving as Officers or District Representatives.

ARTICLE VI
DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVES

Section 1. In addition to Officers of the Association, there shall be geographic representation elected by District as follows:

District 1. Berkshire, Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin Counties
District 2. Essex and Middlesex Counties
District 3. Bristol, Norfolk and Suffolk Counties
District 4. Barnstable, Dukes, Nantucket and Plymouth Counties
District 5. Worcester County

Section 2. Any member of the Association may be nominated to represent that district in which the Select Board Member holds office. Nominations may be made by any member or group of members, including self-nomination, by responding to notification by a date certain. Notification must be by publication available to all members of the Association and by any other means determined by the President or his designee.

Section 3. District Representatives serve two-year terms and may be elected to succeed themselves.

Section 4. Vacancies may be filled by the Executive Board to be effective until the next election, when those appointed may be candidates.

Section 5. District Representatives shall be active liaisons with the Boards within the counties they represent.

Section 6. The District Representatives also serve on the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Municipal Association.

ARTICLE VII
NOMINATING COMMITTEE

Section 1. A Nominating Committee appointed by the President shall be chaired by the immediate Past President, or by an appointee of the Board if the immediate Past President is not available. Requests for nominations for annual officers and biannual district representatives will be made to the membership no less than ninety days prior to the Annual Meeting, through notification to members in a publication available to all members of the Association and by any other means determined by the President or his designee. Upon deliberation, the Nominating Committee shall present its recommendations to the Executive Board prior to the Annual Meeting.  In the absence of a recommendation by the Nominating Committee for any position, the Board may vote a nomination.

Section 2. Consistent with affiliate sequencing policy of the Municipal Association, the Nominating Committee shall also have responsibility for considering candidates from the Association for election as Vice President of the Municipal Association and a recommendation shall be presented with the report to Annual Meeting.

ARTICLE VIII
ANNUAL MEETING

Section 1. The Annual Meeting of the Association shall be held during the Annual Meeting and Trade Show of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, unless otherwise determined by the Executive Board. Members of the Association shall be provided written notice at least fourteen days prior to the meeting. The President shall set the agenda, make an annual report to the meeting and include reports from such committees as may be appropriate. Copies of the agenda shall be provided to members prior to the meeting.

Section 2. The Annual Election shall be held during the meeting.

Section 3. Fifty members at a meeting shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

Section 4. Each member present shall have one vote on any matter before the body.

Section 5. A Special Meeting of the Association shall be held upon request by petition of a minimum of twenty-five members.

ARTICLE IX
VOTING AND CONDUCT OF MEETINGS

Section l. A simple majority of those members present and voting is necessary for the adoption for all motions not otherwise noted.

Section 2. Meetings shall be conducted in general conformance with Roberts Rules of Order. Parliamentary discretion shall be vested in the President or a specified designee.

ARTICLE X
AMENDMENTS

These by laws may be amended at any Annual Meeting of the association by two-thirds vote, provided a notice of the substance and text of all proposed amendments have been provided to each member at least fourteen days in advance of the meeting.

Approved January 25, 2020

Michael Walsh, Secretary