As in most of New England, the distinction between a "city" and "town" as defined in Massachusetts law is primarily related to the form of government that the municipality has chosen. A town is governed under a town meeting form of government–either via an open town meeting or representative town meeting, with a board of selectmen handling town affairs between meetings. A city has a council or board of aldermen (and may or may not have a mayor, a city manager, or both).