A number of towns in Massachusetts have made the switch to a city form of government, something our neighbors in Brookline are currently considering. This has occurred largely in towns that have experienced significant population growth, suggesting that town government may be something that communities “outgrow.” While Needham is not currently considering a change in governance, we were interested in looking at how Needham is run and how it differs from a city. Former NHS history teacher and political scientist Bob Baker looked into it.
When explaining how Needham government works, longtime town leader Dan Matthews begins with: “Well, first, we’re not a city.”
On the gamut of decentralized (town) to centralized (city) municipal governments in Massachusetts, Matthews said Needham skews pretty far toward the latter; “But we’re still a town.”
Matthews, who’s served in many positions including Select Board (1995-2022) and Town Meeting since 1974, believes town government is simpler. “It’s decentralized and it’s volunteer based.” Over his 50 years in town government, a lot has changed. But one constant, in his opinion, is skilled residents willing to put in the time to make things work. “We’ve got a town government that works pretty well.”
Town Clerk Louise Miller disagrees with Matthews. “Cities get more opportunities for fuller discussion,” she said. “Once things get to Town Meeting, if they’re not fully baked, then you can have measures passed that aren’t fully understood.” She also believes Town Meeting often acts as a rubber stamp, approving every item. “Representative Town Meeting doesn’t seem to understand that they are a legislative branch,” she said. “You’re not here to tell the executive branch how wonderful they are.” This year, Town Meeting passed every warrant item.
Rick Lunetta, who has served on the Personnel Board, Finance Committee and is still a Town Meeting member, similarly has concerns about the efficacy of Town Meeting, believing the town’s budget cannot be effectively overseen by 240 elected volunteers. “On very large budgetary items, there is very little discussion, and on $75,000 line items the town can talk for hours,” he said. The town’s total budget for fiscal year 2026 is $256,934,083 — up more than $30 million in two years.
What may seem like rubber stamping to some people, Matthews said, is the system working as it’s supposed to. He compared it to a corporate structure in which the CEO (town manager’s office) works out proposals with the executive board (Select Board and other boards) to bring proposals to the shareholders (Town Meeting). “In a good company, almost everything passes,” he said. “It could just mean that the management is doing its homework.”
Town moderator’s role
As the moderator of Town Meeting since 1997, Michael Fee has been tasked with guiding debate and tallying the votes on each warrant article. He values the role of the representative legislative body and cautions members if that institution goes away, it won’t be brought back. “A town meeting form of government is built on the classic democratic principles of being informed, being involved,” he said. “Town Meeting has an important and vital role in deciding what’s best. That goes away with a city.”
Each year he extolls new Town Meeting members the importance of avoiding the rancor and partisanship that could lead to the institution’s demise and asks them to commit to learning about the issues and to “demonstrate what cordial, factual discussion, deliberation and engagement look like.”
Fee believes it is critical he abide by the ethos of moderators to stay neutral and promote the aims of the institution. The position requires someone who can run fair, impartial and efficient meetings; anyone with an ax to grind would not survive reelection, he said. “If you don’t have someone competent managing the debate or the lead up to the debate, it would be chaos.”
Making a case for change
Miller and Lunetta contend a city form of government with a single executive would be better.
“We should have a mayor and the mayor should be responsible for all the independent boards that are now spread out through the moderator and the Select Board,” Lunetta said.
The clouded lines of authority are one of the main critiques against a town form of government. “It’s not clear to the average voter what Town Meeting’s authority is compared to the Select Board,” said Jeffrey Berry, a retired political science professor from Tufts. “Then, there’s the town administrator whose office is really obscure.”
Berry, a strong advocate of a city form of government, chaired a Brookline committee tasked with making a recommendation about a possible shift to city status. He pointed out that in Newton, when the voters opposed zoning changes, half of the city council was voted out in the same election. “That’s hard to do in a town,” he said.
Lunetta echoed that sentiment. When campaign promises fall short, he said, “There would be one throat to choke.”
Across the state, 17 towns have abandoned town government in the past 36 years, including Framingham, which was the largest town in the state with a population of over 70,000 in 2017 when it switched to a mayor and city council. Weymouth and Braintree are among many municipalities that have adopted everything but the title, clinging to the more rustic moniker of “town” despite their city-like structures.
Berry said Brookline also studied the possibility of using artificial intelligence to pick a representative group of residents to make policy decisions. That report has been shelved but the movement to turn Brookline into a city is growing, with a group collecting signatures to be on the ballot in May 2026.
Needham’s Structure
Well-designed executive branch
Advocates of town government, however, argue that despite the complexity, Needham’s executive branch is well designed with internal checks and balances.
“The Select Board (is) the wheels, the departments are the engine, and the town manager is the transmission,” said Select Board member Kevin Keane.
Although he admires the members of the Select Board, Lunetta questions their effectiveness.
“I would trust them with my mother, but the system is stacked against them,” he said. “(And) if we’re speaking of checks and balances, I’m not really sure how Town Meeting checks the Select Board.
“Governments are never going to be perfect because humans are involved in it, but we need to have an honest conversation.”
From a fiscal standpoint, both critics and proponents of Needham’s governing structure agreed that cities are not inherently more or less expensive to run than towns. The town manager’s salary is similar to a mayor’s salary, and the councilors’ salaries are a minor part of the overall budget, though the administrative costs of running a Select Board and a Town Meeting would be eliminated. However, Fee argued that a switch to a city form of government may result in less fiscal discipline, “With a city form of government, the Finance Committee goes away,” he said. “The debt limits may not stick around if we become a city because there would be no one left to impose that.”
“If you’re not satisfied with your government, changing the form of government isn’t the solution,” said Matthews. He believes it is best to work with what exists and improve it.
Towns that switched to a city form of government did so, among other things, because the volunteer pool was drying up. “There doesn’t seem to be any lack of interest in individuals wanting to participate in Town Meeting. Every precinct has contested races,” said Fee.
Matthews agreed. “A real red flag would be representative Town Meeting not getting a quorum. We don’t have that problem.”
For many residents, the structure of Needham’s town government feels shrouded in mystery. “You’re not born knowing how your town or city government works,” said Matthews. “Usually people learn about it when they get involved in something that affects them.” Zoning, taxes and schools are three of the most common issues that draw people in, often asking why the city isn’t doing something about fill-in-the-blank concern.
“Well,” he said. “First, we’re not a city.”
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