What is a Selectman?

I am asking for your vote as Selectman, but what is a Selectman in Lexington? Put simply, the Board of Selectmen is an elected body of five people who form the executive branch of our Town government.

The Selectmen work together to make policy and oversee the operations of Town government. They call town meetings, propose the annual town budget, set property tax rates, call elections, approve licenses, and oversee many volunteer boards and committees (see below). The actual day-to-day running of the Town is delegated to the Town Manager, a professional administrator who is hired by the Selectmen to oversee municipal staff and to implement the Selectmen's policies.

At the Annual Town Meeting called every spring, the Selectmen present an annual budget for approval. The budget is one of the most important tools the Selectmen have to pursue policy goals. This is also traditionally the time when changes to Town bylaws and zoning regulations are proposed, debated and voted on. The Selectmen weigh all such changes carefully, and the proponents usually seek the unanimous endorsement of the Selectmen.

Lexington's Selectmen are informed about almost every responsibility of Town government. They are volunteers who receive no salary or stipend, but they are considered municipal employees and are subject to state Conflict-of-Interest regulations, as well as the state's Open Meeting Law.

The chart below is a partial breakdown of the groups that contribute to the government of the Town of Lexington. The Selectmen appoint citizens to a plethora of volunteer boards and committees. Some have statutory authority in a certain area, but many act as advisory boards to the Board of Selectmen to help them develop better public policy.