Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
The Massachusetts Select Board Association’s annual spring program webinar on March 12 discussed strategies for empowering town boards and committees and their appointed and elected volunteer members. Speakers included (pictured clockwise from top left) Attorney Karis North of Murphy, Hesse, Toomey, & Lehane, Lincoln Select Board Member Jennifer Glass, Ashland Select Board Chair Yolanda Greaves, Stoughton Select Board Member Debra Roberts and Rob Stringer, co-chair of the town of Lincoln’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Anti-Racism Committee.
The Massachusetts Select Board Association’s annual spring program webinar on March 12 discussed strategies for empowering town boards and committees and their appointed and elected volunteer members.
Rob Stringer, co-chair of the town of Lincoln’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Anti-Racism Committee (IDEA), reviewed a framework the group developed to foster inclusive recruitment practices for town boards and committees. The framework provides guidance for communication and outreach, the interviewing process, and onboarding and support resources for new volunteers.
“This framework is not just to get residents involved,” Stringer said. “It’s to get a more and more diverse set of residents involved in our town government, and involved civically in Lincoln.”
The framework advocates for communication and outreach strategies that target demographics previously underrepresented in town government. For example, IDEA committee members participated in the town’s annual “Trunk or Treat” event in order to connect with younger parents and families in the community.
Lincoln’s IDEA committee also met with other towns boards and committees to learn more about their needs, how to better support their volunteer members, and to ask for feedback on the new recruitment framework.
“Just having a little time to have those conversations with board members and committee members has been fun and interesting, and has given them an opportunity to take a step back and look at their work,” said Lincoln Select Board Member Jennifer Glass, who’s also co-chair of IDEA.
Ashland Select Board Chair Yolanda Greaves, District 2 representative for the MSA, discussed her experience with helping to review her town’s board and committee recruitment and onboarding practices.
“We’re looking at the process, we’re looking at how we appoint people and how we invite them in,” she said.
Ashland’s review involves updating and digitizing the town’s “talent bank,” a form where prospective board and committee members can submit their interest in volunteering for a position and share their skills and backgrounds.
Attorney Karis North of Murphy, Hesse, Toomey, & Lehane gave a presentation covering the open meeting and public records laws, as well as state ethics law considerations related to town board and committee operations.
Sharon Select Board Chair Kiana Pierre-Louis, District 3 representative for the MSA, facilitated a Q&A session that addressed providing support for prospective volunteers seeking elected board and committee positions, and creating onboarding and educational opportunities to help newcomers feel comfortable in local government settings.
• Board and Committee Recruitment Framework: Getting Residents Involved in Lincoln’s Volunteer Town Government (750K PDF)
• Empowering Town Boards and Committees: Understanding the Basics of Open Meeting, Public Records & Ethics Law to Empower your Board or Committee – Murphy, Hesse, Toomy, & Lehane (390K PDF)