For 40 years, the Massachusetts Municipal Association has been bringing municipal officials together to articulate a clear and united municipal message, to develop and advocate for unified policies, and to share information and work together to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of municipal service delivery.

In short, the MMA is the voice of cities and towns in Massachusetts.

The MMA’s mission is to improve the effectiveness of local government in the Commonwealth. The MMA is a private, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization of cities and towns.

The Massachusetts Municipal Association was founded on June 27, 1979, when the Massachusetts League of Cities and Towns (formed in 1961) was consolidated with the Massachusetts Selectmen’s Association (name changed to Massachusetts Select Board Association in 2020), the Massachusetts Mayors’ Association, the Massachusetts Municipal Management Association, and the Association of Town Finance Committees. The Massachusetts Municipal Councillors’ Association was created in 1981 and added to the MMA.

The MMA is governed by a 35-member Board of Directors composed of municipal officials from across the state – mayors, select board members, councillors, municipal managers and finance committee members – who are elected by their peers to represent Massachusetts communities.

The following are the five key elements of the MMA mission:

  1. To develop broad support for issues affecting local government and to advocate for those issues before state and federal agencies and the general public.
  2. To preserve and advance the decision-making authority of local government, recognizing the association’s role as the lead municipal advocate on personnel management and state revenue sharing matters.
  3. To provide and develop low-cost, high-quality services for cities and towns as an alternative to relying on the private sector.
  4. To educate local officials and to stimulate, encourage and coordinate the communication of ideas and positions among local officials, state and federal officials, key opinion leaders and the general public.
  5. To improve the quality of life in cities and towns, by assisting local officials with efforts to make services more efficient and more responsive to the citizens of our municipalities.

Read the story behind the MMA logo

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