Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
West Newbury’s Annual Town Meeting on April 24 approved the adoption of a town manager form of government, adding the position to provide managerial oversight of all town departments.
Currently, West Newbury’s highest-ranking town employee is its finance director. The town has a three-member Board of Selectmen as its executive body and an open town meeting as the legislative body.
The Board of Selectmen endorsed creating a town manager position to lead day-to-day operations of town government and increase efficiency. The new town manager will replace the finance director, while the town will retain its accountant and treasurer/collector positions.
The selectmen plan to form a search committee for a town manager once the Legislature approves the home rule petition and the governor signs it.
The change will bring the number Massachusetts towns with a town manager form of government to 64. Another 169 towns have a town administrator and 19 use other titles for their professional administrators. An additional eight communities have a town manager but with a city form government and a town council.