As the executive body of the town, the Harvard Board of Selectmen (BOS) is responsible for carrying out the wishes of residents who attend Annual Town Meeting, an open legislative body that got its start with New England’s Puritans. However, in addition to overseeing town departments and executing a host of administrative responsibilities, the BOS must also lead. How do they do it, and what does it take to be an effective member on a five-member board that cannot act unless at least three members agree?

“There are two secrets,” said Selectman Tim Clark in a recent interview. “One is persistence and the other is a good sense of humor. Government doesn’t respond to strong personalities very well. A private corporation might have a real identity and a real focus with one CEO, but we don’t have those privileges. We don’t have that executive authority to snap our fingers to make it so. [As a selectman], you’re not the captain of a ship.”

“I think [the BOS] has been most effective when the five people on the board feel they’re all going in the same direction,” says Selectman Lucy Wallace, the longest-serving BOS member. “A board is more apt to break down when one very strong personality wants to dominate. That can be a source of frustration for a new member because the office attracts people who are used to getting things done and want to get things done. I think you have to learn to become enmeshed in a culture of five people. And it takes a while to develop that relationship.”

“It’s discouraging at times,” says Selectman Peter Warren, who is serving his first full term. “It doesn’t move fast enough. It’s the nature of the beast. I tell people, if businesses ran like government, they’d be bankrupt.”

Still, a quick tour of board activities over the past 12 to 18 months shows that the BOS and individual members have the power to accomplish more than they may realize. As 2009 draws to a close, the four BOS members (soon to be five—after next Tuesday’s election) can look back on accomplishments that range from cost savings in town departments and deft handling of a major ice storm to passage of articles that will create a new town center sewer system and leadership that kept the town operating without an override in spite of major cuts in state aid. Here’s a partial rundown of cases in which the board was able to use its formal and informal powers to help the town deal with a range of issues:

• Town center sewer proposal: After years of working on a plan, the BOS was finally able to put one before the town in 2009, where it passed with virtually no opposition. The plan was developed by an expert committee, which reported regularly to the board on its progress and was supported by BOS members whenever it encountered roadblocks. When it came time to “sell” the plan to the town, individual board members worked with stakeholders to find ways to overcome objections that might have led to its defeat.
• Budget constraints: Stating that there would be no override to fund town spending in fiscal 2010, the board effectively used its control over what goes into the warrant for Annual Town Meeting and its role as the senior town board. It got the cooperation it needed from other town boards and committees to achieve its goal.
• Evergreen Solar noise problem: Though lacking any legal authority to act, members of the BOS exercised their standing as town officials to negotiate an agreement with managers of the Evergreen Solar plant. The agreement provided direction toward solving the noise problem that plagued Harvard residents. The Devens Enterprise Commission, which did have the authority to take action, later adopted the Harvard resolution as its own.
• Ambulance funding: Realizing that town ambulance costs were becoming a major line item in the budget, the BOS decided the group needed to become self-funding. In this case, because of his standing as a founding member of the organization and someone who had long opposed charging for its use, the BOS delegated Warren to work with the group to implement the change. The negotiations were contentious, and members of the squad resigned; however the change eliminated $30,000 from the town budget and the ambulance is now self-funded with a projected surplus.

Each of these actions required a majority vote of the selectmen; however, the votes were unanimous, which reflected the board’s ability to reach a consensus.

So what do the most senior members of the current BOS think voters should keep in mind in choosing a selectman on Dec. 8 to fill the slot left vacant by former chairman Leo Blair?

“The politics of red state-blue state don’t apply,” says Clark. “The best thing that people can do is to err on the side of those who are approachable. … It does come down to a popularity contest for some. But voters should ask, Who do I think would make the contributions that I would like to see if I were a selectman? If I called that person, would the candidate hear what I have to say? Or is the candidate so locked up in their own opinions that mine doesn’t matter?”

Warren says, “Whoever wins is not going to make a major difference in the board makeup. There are definitely minor differences in philosophy between the two [candidates], but in content and what they think needs to be done, they’re pretty equal. It’s a question of how do you get to the end result. I remember the campaign and what I said and what were the end results,” he chuckled. “It didn’t quite come out that way in the system.”

“Looking back on other board members that I have served with who have contributed and helped the BOS be successful,” says Wallace, “those that [have been most effective] have served on major town boards that are confronting multiple issues, like the Conservation Commission, like the Planning Board, like the School Committee, like the Finance Committee. They’ve had to deal with the public in a lot of ways. They’ve had to go through uncomfortable meetings. They’ve been seasoned. I think by the time you get to the Board of Selectmen, that’s not the best place in terms of how the board functions effectively for people to become seasoned—because there is so much on your plate and you are the executive leadership of the town. And you do have to help the town come together and deal with often contrary and often emotionally opposing opinions and help people work it through and keep the town on track.”