The select board or board of selectmen is commonly the executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms . Three is the most common number, historically.
70-415: In most New England towns, the adult voting population gathered annually in a town meeting to act as the local legislature, approving budgets and laws. Day-to-day operations were originally left to individual oversight, but when towns became too large for individuals to handle such work loads, they would elect an executive board of selected men (hence the name) to run things for them. These men had charge of
140-536: A board of aldermen instead of a board of selectmen), a "selectman" is an elected position that is responsible for organizing elections for local, state, and federal offices. Three selectmen, a moderator, and a clerk are elected in each city ward. In Vermont towns, per state statute the Selectboard performs several ex officio roles to include: serving as the local Board of Health, Board of Liquor Control Commissioners, Board of Sewage System Commissioners; and together with
210-437: A town council . Some towns use a financial town meeting form where an open town meeting exists with limited jurisdiction to vote solely on financial affairs while the town's legislative powers have been vested in a town council. Town meetings may have binding votes for some items in which the meeting participants vote to approve or deny the measure. Some towns require a referendum for items such as annual budgets and changes to
280-408: A full-time town administrator or town manager . In some towns, the board of selectmen acts more like a city council , but retains the historic name. In some places, such as Connecticut , the board is headed by a first selectman, who historically has served as the chief administrative officer of the town and may be elected separately from the rest of the board. In New Hampshire cities (which have
350-694: A modified version of it. Maine annual town meetings traditionally are held in March. Special town meetings also may be called from time to time. The executive agency of town government is an elected , part-time board, known as the Board of Selectmen , having three, five, or seven members. Between sessions, the board of selectmen interprets the policy set at Town Meeting and is assigned numerous duties including: approving all town non-school expenditures, authorizing highway construction and repair, serving as town purchasing agent for non-school items, issuing licenses, and overseeing
420-488: A new requirement that a man must own taxable property with a value of at least 20 pounds in 1658 and increased that sum to 80 pounds in 1670. The 1670 law had a grandfather clause allowing all those who previously were qualified to keep the franchise. In 1691, the property requirement was lowered back to 20 pounds. In provincial elections, only church members could vote. The number continued to fall from there. While in many respects Massachusetts society resembled England,
490-460: A part-time position. Most modern towns that have part-time first selectmen limit their function to chairing the board of selectmen and performing certain ceremonial duties. Actual administration of the town is handled by the town manager. In other towns, the first selectman acts as CEO of the town, much like a mayor, alone or in conjunction with a town manager who acts as a chief administrative officer. In Massachusetts , New Hampshire and Vermont ,
560-496: A revision in June 2021 to the town's zoning rules to allow for multi-family homes and ADUs on 2% the town's land. The Open Communities Alliance voiced disappointment regarding the scale of the change, and filed a lawsuit alleging Woodbridge was in violation of Connecticut's Zoning Enabling Act and Fair Housing Act in August 2022 in a case which has attracted statewide attention. Woodbridge
630-478: A tie-breaking vote in the board of finance . In other towns, the position is full-time. In towns such as Beacon Falls , Bethany , Brookfield , Orange , and Simsbury , the losing first selectman candidate can earn a seat on the board of selectmen, depending on the number of votes the losing candidate received. Town meeting Executive mayor elected by the people, elected legislative City council Council - Manager Executive leader elected by
700-458: A token or no salary. It is the chief executive branch of local government in the open town meeting form of government. The basic function consists of calling town meetings, proposing budgets to the town meeting, setting public policy, calling elections, licensing, setting certain fees, overseeing certain volunteer and appointed bodies, and creating basic regulations. In larger towns, the selectmen's daily administrative duties are delegated to
770-585: A town budget, and approve large contracts. Town selectmen can call special town meetings throughout the year as needed, although these must be approved by a judge if they affect the budget. State law prohibits town meetings from being held on the biennial election day in November. State law lets the town moderator adjourn a long-running meeting and reconvene it at a later date to finish the town's business. Any town meeting or adjournment thereof must have its time and place published with three days' notice, along with
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#1733086308056840-547: Is direct democracy , while its alternatives, representative town meeting and town council, are representative democracy. It is a form of government typical of smaller municipalities in the New England region of the United States. In Massachusetts, towns with fewer than 6,000 residents must adopt the open town meeting form of government. Massachusetts towns with 6,000 or more residents may adopt either open town meeting or
910-542: Is after him that the modern town was named. Woodbridge was incorporated in 1784. In 1661, the town was the location of one of the hideouts of the " Regicides "—three of the judges who signed the death warrant for King Charles I of England . The ruins of their hideout can be found on the nearby West Rock ridge, which runs along the town's eastern border. Thomas Darling (1720–1789), a tutor at Yale College and later an entrepreneur in New Haven, moved to town in 1774. His home
980-451: Is chosen at the start of each meeting, which is typically held in a public venue, either in the town itself or nearby. Votes are taken by voice, and if close by show of hands. In towns with an open town meeting form, all registered voters of the town are eligible to participate in and vote at town meetings. Representative town meeting is used by some larger towns, where voters elect representatives to participate in town meetings, similar to
1050-451: Is governed by a 6-member Board of Selectmen . Woodbridge's current First Selectman is Mica Cardozo, whose term expires in December 2025. This is Cardozo's first term as First Selectman. Cardozo served two terms as Deputy Selectman to former First Selectwoman Beth Heller and was appointed as Ordinance Chairman. Cardozo was preceded as First Selectman by Democrat Beth Heller, who served in
1120-530: Is held in the spring and may also be known as the annual budget meeting. Towns were once required to hold their annual town meetings between February 1 and May 31, but Chapter 85 of the Acts of 2008 extended this window of time to June 30. (Town fiscal years start on July 1.) At this meeting, the town budgets for the new fiscal year and takes care of any outstanding housekeeping items from the current fiscal year. It may also vote on non-budgetary warrant articles, including
1190-662: Is now the Darling House Museum , operated by the Amity & Woodbridge Historical Society. The original farms of Woodbridge were located in the area of the West River Valley known as The Flats . In the modern era, Woodbridge has undergone significant suburbanization . Following the onset 2020 George Floyd protests , Woodbridge and other affluent towns in Connecticut have faced criticism certain civic organizations alleging
1260-485: Is used in portions of the United States , principally in New England , where it has been the primary form of town government since the 17th century. Town meetings have been practiced in the U.S. region of New England since colonial times and in some western states since at least the late 19th century. Town meeting can also refer to meetings of other governmental bodies such as regional water or school districts . While
1330-521: The representative town meeting form of government. The select board summons the town meeting into existence by issuing the warrant, which is the list of items—known as articles—to be voted on, with descriptions of each article. The Moderator presides over the meeting, making sure that the town's chosen rules of parliamentary procedure are followed, judging the results of voice votes or shows of hands and counting votes that are too close to be judged by eye or ear. The Finance Committee , often called
1400-468: The United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 19.2 square miles (50 km ), of which 18.8 square miles (49 km ) is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km ) is water. The total area is 2.03% water. Woodbridge is informally divided into two distinct parts: central Woodbridge, which occupies the western hilly side of town; and the area known as The Flats , which occupies
1470-411: The commissioners . The advent of tarred roads and automobile traffic led to a need for full-time highway maintainers and plowmen, leaving selectmen to serve as Supervisors of Streets and Ways. The function of the board of selectmen differs from state to state, and can differ within a given state depending on the type of governance under which a town operates. Selectmen almost always serve part-time, with
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#17330863080561540-455: The warrant specifying each issue to be decided. Town meeting can amend the warrant articles before voting on them, and can conduct non-binding discussions of other issues, but cannot make other binding votes without this notice to town voters. Attendance wanes over the course of a town meeting, and a traditional tactic was to re-vote after many on the opposite side had gone home. In 1991, the state enacted RSA 40:10 , giving town meeting members
1610-605: The #1 school district in New Haven County and the 10th best school district in CT by Niche in 2021. As of 2019 Woodbridge has the 7th highest median household income in CT. Woodbridge was originally called "Amity", having been carved out of land originally belonging to New Haven and Milford as an independent parish in 1739. In 1742, the Rev. Benjamin Woodbridge was ordained in Amity, and it
1680-485: The Advisory Committee, makes recommendations on articles dealing with money and often drafts the proposed budget. The Town Clerk serves as the clerk of the meeting by recording its results. Town Counsel may make legal recommendations on any articles of the warrant, to ensure town meeting is acting lawfully. Massachusetts towns having at least 6,000 residents may adopt a representative town meeting system through
1750-533: The Amity school system, Woodbridge shares a middle school with the town of Bethany , which is located north of Woodbridge. Woodbridge also shares the Amity Regional High School with the neighboring towns of Bethany and Orange . The high school is located in Woodbridge's town center area. Woodbridge is home to Ezra Academy , a regional Jewish day school whose students reside in 21 towns throughout New Haven and Fairfield counties. According to
1820-538: The General Court took authority to appoint assessors from selectmen and gave it to town meetings. An act of the colonial legislature gave town meeting the right to elect its own moderators in 1715, but this had already been in practice for several years in towns such as Dedham . A colony law required all voters to be church members until 1647, though it may not have been enforced. The law changed in 1647, requiring voters to be above 24 years of age. The colony added
1890-487: The Woodbridge Park Association. The town has an extensive system of preserved hiking trails open to the public, notably the 93-acre (380,000 m ) Alice Newton Street Memorial Park and the 22-acre (89,000 m ) Wepawaug Falls area. Some of the land has been donated by residents. As of the census of 2020, there were 9,087 people, 2,897 households, and 2,353 families in the town. The population density
1960-533: The abstract principles under which they would live and regulated the most minute details of their lives. The decisions they made then affected the lives of their children and grandchildren. Town meeting often had a reputation for being "active, suspicious, contradictory, and cantankerous," but it was well regarded by others. In 1692, the Great and General Court declared that final authority on bylaws rested with town meetings and not selectmen. Two years later, in 1694,
2030-415: The age of 18. 61.1% of the population is actively married. 13.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average family size was 3.31. 5.8% of the population was under the age of 5, 23.2% of the population was under the age of 18, 76.8% of the population was 18 years and over, and 24.8% were 65 years of age or older. The median age
2100-696: The ballot. Woodbridge, Connecticut Woodbridge is a town in New Haven County , Connecticut , United States . The town is part of the South Central Connecticut Planning Region . The population was 9,087 at the 2020 census . The town center is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Woodbridge Green Historic District . Woodbridge is part of the Amity Regional School District #5, rated
2170-449: The basis of their poor attendance and lack of representativeness. Jane Mansbridge and Donald L. Robinson have argued that town meetings in Vermont and Massachusetts feature extremely low turnout in part because they last for a full working day, leading to disproportionate representation of seniors and non-working residents in the meetings. As participation is still voluntary for attendees of
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2240-561: The compensation of appointees. (See also: Council-manager government .) From 1927 to 1939, eleven other Maine towns adopted special act charters similar to the Camden charter. Today, 135 Maine towns have the town meeting-selectmen-manager system, while 209 use the town meeting-selectmen system. The town meeting "was the original and protean vessel of local authority." The early meetings were informal, with all men in town likely participating. Even when it did not fully exercise it, "the power of
2310-419: The conduct of all town activities. Often the part-time selectmen also serve as town assessors , overseers of the poor, and road commissioners . Generally, there are other elected town officers whose duties are specified by law. These may include clerks, assessors, tax collectors , treasurers , school committee members, constables , and others. In 1927 the town of Camden adopted a special charter and became
2380-1108: The core of government for most New England towns today. Since the turn of the nineteenth century, political scientists have characterized New England's town meetings as notable examples of direct democracy. In 1831, political philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville visited several townships in Massachusetts, remarking in the first volume of Democracy in America (1835) that town governments in New England appeared to show greater political independence than French communes or other municipal bodies in Europe. Tocqueville believed that town meetings, with direct power given to attending residents, trained citizens for participation in broader democratic society. Town meetings also influenced American republican thought particularly for Thomas Jefferson , who believed they were "the perfect exercise of self-government and for its preservation." Town meetings represent some of
2450-511: The council from among themselves Elected mayor and cabinet Executive mayor elected by the people Committee system Executive leader and executive committees elected by the council from among themselves Town meeting , also known as an "open town meeting," is a form of local government in which eligible town residents can directly participate in an assembly which determines the governance of their town. Unlike representative town meeting where only elected representatives can participate in
2520-441: The day-to-day operations; selectmen were important in legislating policies central to a community's police force, highway supervisors, poundkeepers , field drivers, and other officials. However, the larger towns grew, the more power would be distributed among other elected boards, such as fire wardens and police departments. For example, population increases led to the creation of police departments, of which selectmen typically became
2590-538: The eastern slice of town, bordering West Rock and the New Haven neighborhood of Westville . Neighboring towns are Bethany to the north, Hamden to the east, New Haven , and West Haven to the southeast, Orange to the south, and Derby , Ansonia , and Seymour to the west. Woodbridge is home to several organizations that protect undeveloped land and historic sites, including the Woodbridge Land Trust and
2660-475: The final vote by secret ballot attracts more voters than town meetings do because of the shorter time requirement, and absentees can vote. Deliberative sessions have been charged with " sabotaging " the intent of a ballot question; for example, changing a warrant article, "To see if the Town will raise and appropriate (amount) for (purpose)" to merely read, "To see." A 2011 law barred deliberative sessions from deleting
2730-407: The first Maine town to apply the manager concept to the town meeting-selectmen framework. Under this system, the manager is administrative head of town government, responsible to the select board for the administration of all departments under its control. The manager's duties include acting as purchasing agent, seeing that laws and ordinances are enforced, making appointments and removals, and fixing
2800-465: The franchise was more widespread in the colony than it was in the mother country, as were the powers of local elected officials. Open town meeting is the form of town meeting in which all registered voters of a town are eligible to vote, together acting as the town's legislature. Town Meeting is typically held annually in the spring, often over the course of several evenings, but there is also provision to call additional special meetings. Open town meeting
2870-444: The governing assembly, any town voter may participate in an open town meeting. This form is distinct from town hall meetings held by elected officials to communicate with their constituents, which have no decision-making power. At a town meeting, attendees determine the ordinances or rules of the town, its boards and commissions, elected and appointed positions, capital investments, expenditures, budgets, and local taxation, as well as
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2940-412: The largest number of votes during municipal elections or at a town meeting. More recently most towns have chosen to elect the first selectman in a separate election, much like a mayor . While the principle remains the same in most towns, the function has evolved differently. Traditionally, the first selectman acts as chief administrative officer . As with all politicians in New England, it was originally
3010-422: The manner and frequency of future town meetings. Because towns self-govern and maintain their autonomy, town meetings vary from state to state, as well as from town to town. Since town residents directly participate in their own governance and represent themselves without any intermediary, town meeting is an example of direct democracy , and examined as a case study in democratic theory. The town meeting form
3080-408: The meeting, Mansbridge also notes differences in participation on the basis of education and class when conflicts arise, writing that "the face-to-face assembly lets those who have no trouble speaking defend their interests; it does not give the average citizen comparable protection." Feminist critics have also identified mixed results in town meetings. While women's rates of attendance at town meetings
3150-592: The municipal ballot. Under SB 2, a first session, called a "Deliberative Session", is held about a month prior to the town election. This session is similar in many ways to the traditional town meeting. However, unlike the town meeting, while the wording and dollar amounts of proposed ballot measures may be amended, no actual voting on the merits of the proposals takes place. Deliberative sessions are less well attended, in bodies that have adopted SB 2, than are plenary town meetings in bodies that have not adopted SB 2, as their decisions are not final. However,
3220-532: The municipal election. To adopt SB 2, or to revert to traditional town meetings, a question to that effect on the municipal ballot must win a three-fifths majority. This format was instituted by the state legislature in 1995 because of concerns that modern lifestyles had made it difficult for people to attend traditional town meetings. In 2019, however, the law was changed so that the three-fifths majority would have to occur at town meeting itself: The town meeting would have to vote to remove its own final decisions to
3290-691: The normal charter change process in the State Legislature. Representative Town Meetings function largely the same as an Open Town Meeting except that not all registered voters can vote. The townspeople instead elect Town Meeting Members by precinct to represent them and to vote on the issues for them. Before it became a city in 2018, Framingham , which at the time was the largest town in the Commonwealth by population, had 216 representatives in Town Meeting, twelve from each precinct . An annual town meeting
3360-624: The number of signatures required on a petition rises to 100. While the Selectmen generally call such a meeting, voters may call one through petition, and the number of signatures required on a petition to call a special town meeting is 200 or 20% of the registered voters, whichever number is lower. The selectmen have 45 days from the date of receiving such a petition to hold a special town meeting. In New Hampshire , towns, village districts (which can deal with various government activities but usually concern public water supplies) and school districts have
3430-656: The only modern institutions, apart from some townships in Minnesota and the cantons of Switzerland, in which everyday citizens can regularly participate in "face-to-face" assemblies that deliberate binding collective action decisions in the form of laws. Proponents of communitarianism and civic republicanism in political thought, notably Frank M. Bryan of the University of Vermont , have advocated town meetings as forms of direct democracy based upon unitary values. Deliberative democrats , such as James Fishkin , have presented
3500-418: The option of choosing one of two types of annual meeting: Traditional meetings, and ballot-vote meetings that are known informally as "SB 2" or "Senate Bill 2". A variation of SB 2 and representative town meeting are also allowed under state law but as of 2015 are not in use by any community. Traditional town meeting is held annually on the second Tuesday of March to choose town officers, approve
3570-582: The parish church. Another is that it stemmed from New England colonists aboard the Mayflower who, upon landing in Plymouth, Massachusetts , gathered to adopt their own rules of governance, the Mayflower Compact . In colonial New England there was very little separation between church and town governance, but town meeting continued to play a secular role after the disestablishment of the state churches, forming
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#17330863080563640-476: The polls. In Connecticut, the first selectman is the chief executive and administrative officer of most towns with the Selectmen-Town Meeting form of government. Some towns, such as Woodbridge , elect their first selectmen to be the chief administrative officer of the town even though the position is technically part-time. The first selectman is also a voting member of the board of selectmen and can cast
3710-414: The position for three terms between 2017 and 2023. She also served briefly in the position following the death of Ed Sheehy, stepping up from her position as his deputy first selectman. The town's previous First Selectwoman was Democrat Ellen Scalettar, who was first elected in 2013, and was re-elected in 2015. Scalettar did not seek a third term in 2017. Prior to Scalettar, Democrat Ed Sheehy served as
3780-450: The practice of exclusionary zoning . In early 2021, local housing advocacy group Open Communities Alliance called upon Woodbridge to amend its zoning codes to allow for more housing developments, and enable more low-income and minority residents to live in the town. The group cited that just 0.2% of Woodbridge’s land area permits two-family dwellings. In response to efforts by the group, Woodbridge's Town Plan and Zoning Commission approved
3850-478: The presiding selectman is usually called the chairman and is chosen annually by the selectmen. In Vermont, immediately following the annual election, the Board of Selectmen is required by state statute to re-organize, which includes electing a chair, appointing various town positions, and establishing the meeting schedule for the ensuing year. In New Hampshire cities, selectmen maintain voter checklists and aid voters at
3920-483: The right to bar reconsideration of a specified vote (or any "action...which involves the same subject matter"). If a town meeting does not bar reconsideration and later does vote to reconsider a decision, the issue can be taken up only at an adjourned session at least one week later. Official ballot referenda, or the SB ;2 format, provides that town voters make binding decisions not at town meeting but by secret ballot in
3990-865: The second Tuesday in March, the second Tuesday in April, or the second Tuesday in May. The election dates may be changed by majority vote. If a vote is taken to approve the change of the local elections, the date becomes effective the following year. In 2002, according to the University of New Hampshire Center for Public Policy studies, 171 towns in New Hampshire had traditional town meeting, while 48 had SB 2. Another 15 municipalities, most of them incorporated cities, had no annual meeting. The study found that 102 school districts had traditional town meeting, 64 had SB 2 meeting and 10 had no annual meeting. Because traditional-meeting communities tend to be smaller, only one third of
4060-518: The state's population was governed by traditional town meetings in 2002 and only 22 percent by traditional school-district meetings. The Official Ballot Town Council is a variant form of the Town Council, in which certain items are to be placed on the ballot to be voted on by the registered voters. This process mimics the SB 2 process, except that the Town Council makes the determination of what items will go on
4130-503: The subject matter of a warrant article. In 2016, petitioners in Exeter submitted an article to place on the ballot an advisory "vote of no confidence" in a school official, and the deliberative session removed the word "no". The second session, held on a set election day, is when issues such as the town's budget and other measures, known as warrant articles, are voted upon. When adopting SB 2, towns or school districts may hold elections on
4200-441: The town meeting as a setting of "empowered participation" in which thoughtful deliberation between all participating individuals can coexist with a sense of engaged citizenship and responsibility for solving local problems. Both camps, however, note the difficulties of maintaining the benefits of town meetings when the format is scaled to larger groups. Other political scientists have expressed more skepticism toward town meetings on
4270-407: The town meeting knew no limit." Town meeting created principles to regulate taxation and land distribution; it bought land for town use and forbade the use of it forever to those who could not pay their share within a month; it decided the number of pines each family could cut from the swamp and which families could cover their house with clapboard. The men who went to that town meeting hammered out
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#17330863080564340-508: The town's First Selectman. He became First Selectman in April 2006. Sheehy served on the Board of Selectmen for 27 years as a regular selectman. The Board of Selectmen elected Sheehy First Selectman by a 3 to 2 vote, along party lines, to replace Amey Marella (Republican), who stepped down to accept a job as Deputy Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection . Before becoming First Selectwoman in 2001, Marella
4410-515: The town's elected Justices of the Peace , serve as the Board of Civil Authority and Board of Tax Abatement. A rare use of the term outside New England is in Georgetown , Colorado, where the town governing body is called the Board of Selectmen. The first selectman (or selectwoman) is the head of the board of selectmen in some New England towns. Historically, the first selectman was the one who received
4480-426: The town's general and zoning bylaws. An article may be placed on the warrant by the Selectmen, sometimes at the request of town departments, or by a petition signed by at least ten registered voters of the town. Special town meetings' may be held whenever necessary, usually to deal with financial or other pertinent issues that develop between annual town meetings. They function the same as an annual town meeting, only
4550-456: The town's ordinances. For those items, the town meeting votes to whether or not to send the issue to a referendum, which is held at a later date pursuant to the schedule laid out in that town's ordinances. In Maine , the town meeting system originated during the period when the District of Maine was part of Massachusetts . Most cities and towns operate under the town meeting form of government or
4620-469: The uses and laws vary by town and state, the general form is for residents of the town to periodically gather and serve as the legislative body , voting on finances, ordinances, and other matters of governance. Records of early New England governance are sparse, leading to debate about the origin of town meeting. One interpretation is that it was adapted from local vestry meetings held in 17th century England that were responsible for financial decisions of
4690-663: Was 477.0 inhabitants per square mile (184.2/km ). There were 3,476 housing units at an average density of 169.3 per square mile (65.4/km ). The racial makeup of the town was 74.5% White , 3.07% African American , 0.17% Native American , 13.3% Asian , 0.033% Pacific Islander , 1.91% from other races , and 6.99% from two or more races. 6.02% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Out of 2,897 households, there were 2,353 families in which 70% were married couple family households, 13.9% female householder with no spouse present, and 10.5% male householder with no spouse present. 36% of households have one or more person under
4760-458: Was 49.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $ 157,610, and the median income for a family was $ 166,546. As of 2010, males had a median income of $ 105,632 versus $ 70,286 for females. The per capita income for the town was $ 69,179. 3.5% of the population and 1.4% of families were below the poverty line . 3.3% of those under the age of 18 and 4% of those 65 and older were living below
4830-558: Was an attorney with the United States Environmental Protection Agency . Edward Sheehy was reelected in May 2009 to another two-year term. On April 22, 2013, Sheehy died suddenly at the age of 73 while still holding the First Selectman's office. He was actively seeking re-election in May. He was laid to rest on April 27, 2013. Beecher Road School is the town's pre Kindergarten-Grade 6 school. As part of
4900-432: Was nearly equal relative to men's, their participation in discussion relative to men declined as the size of the town increased. Connecticut town meetings are usually bound to a published agenda; meeting participants can not alter proposed items or add new business. Each town determines the method, frequency, and range of governance for its town meeting and codifies these in its ordinances or town charter. A moderator
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