Town Leadership
The Town Manager’s Office
The Town Manager
Andrew P. Flanagan
When a street goes unplowed or a new building rises on Main Street, the person with the most operational control is an appointed professional, not an elected official. Andrew P. Flanagan is the Town Manager, hired by the five elected members of the Select Board to run the town day to day, and they can let him go if they lose faith in him. He is the chief administrative officer: he hires and supervises most department heads, builds and presents the annual budget, and carries the town’s biggest spending requests to Town Meeting for the final vote. The Select Board hired Flanagan in 2016, when he was thirty, making him one of the youngest town managers in Massachusetts, and the board has kept him in the job since. Because Andover hands the daily machinery to an appointed manager, the plan to fix a problem usually crosses his desk first, then goes to the board and to Town Meeting.
| Role | Town Manager (chief administrative officer) |
|---|---|
| In office | Since 2016 |
| Selection | Appointed by the Select Board under contract, not elected |
| Office | Town Offices, 36 Bartlet Street, Andover, MA 01810 |
| Phone | 978-623-8210 |
| andrew.flanagan@andoverma.us | |
| Website | andoverma.gov |
What the Town Manager Does
- Runs the departments. Police, fire, public works, health, community services, and the rest answer to the Town Manager, who appoints most of their leaders.
- Builds the budget. Each year the Manager proposes how the town will spend its money, then defends that plan before the Select Board and open Town Meeting.
- Answers to the board. The Manager serves at the pleasure of the elected Select Board and carries out the policies it sets.
- Reports to Town Meeting. Major spending and bylaws still need the vote of open Town Meeting, where any registered voter can weigh in.
The Administration
- Department heads are appointed by the Town Manager and carry out policy, from plowing snow to inspecting restaurants.
- The Select Board is the check: it hires and can fire the Manager, sets policy, and signs the warrants that put questions before Town Meeting.
- Boards and commissions, many of them appointed by the Select Board or the Town Manager, decide questions like zoning, conservation, and licensing.
Contact & Engage
- Town Offices: 36 Bartlet Street, Andover, MA 01810.
- Town Manager’s Office: 978-623-8210, andrew.flanagan@andoverma.us.
- Report a problem: service requests like potholes and missed pickups go through Andover Central 311 and the online tools at andoverma.gov.
- Show up: the Select Board meets on Monday evenings at the Town Offices, and the public is welcome.
Sources
Andover government website (andoverma.gov). Verified July 2026.
Want to weigh in on a town decision? Learn how to contact your officials so they actually hear you.