Editing Select board (section)

==History==
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 the day-to-day operations; selectmen were important in legislating policies central to a community's police force, highway supervisors, [[poundkeeper]]s, 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 the [[Police commissioner|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.<ref>Fairlie, pp. 156-163.</ref>