Town Leadership
The Berkley Town Administrator’s Office
The Town Administrator
Matthew Chabot
When a road goes unplowed or a permit stalls, the person with the most day-to-day control over the response is appointed, not elected. Matthew Chabot is Berkley’s Town Administrator, hired by the three elected members of the Board of Selectmen to run the town day to day. On June 17, 2026 the board appointed him to a term expiring June 30, 2027 and approved his contract for FY2027 through FY2029. He is the town’s chief administrative officer: he oversees and helps appoint department heads, shapes and presents the annual budget, and carries the town’s biggest spending requests to Town Meeting for the final vote. In a town this size the Administrator is the single office where the many small machineries of government meet, so the plan to fix a problem usually crosses his desk first, then goes to the board, and then to Town Meeting. He is appointed by the Board of Selectmen and serves under contract.
| Role | Town Administrator (chief administrative officer) |
|---|---|
| Selection | Appointed by the Board of Selectmen under contract, not elected |
| Office | Town Hall, 1 North Main Street, Berkley, MA 02779 |
| Phone | 508-824-6794 |
| Website | townofberkleyma.gov |
What the Town Administrator Does
- Runs the departments. The clerk’s office, highway, health, building, the council on aging, and the rest look to the Town Administrator to coordinate the town’s daily work.
- Builds the budget. Each year the Administrator helps assemble how the town proposes to spend its money, then that plan is defended before the Board of Selectmen and Town Meeting, which holds the final vote.
- Answers to the board. The Administrator is appointed by the elected Board of Selectmen to a fixed term and carries out the policies it sets.
- Reports to Town Meeting. Major spending and bylaws still need the vote of Town Meeting, and in Berkley that means every registered voter who walks in.
The Board Behind the Office
- Department work is carried out by the town’s staff and department heads, who put policy into practice, from plowing snow to inspecting a new building.
- The Board of Selectmen is the check: it hires and can replace the Administrator, sets policy, and signs the warrants that put questions before Town Meeting.
- Boards and commissions, many of them appointed by the Board of Selectmen, decide questions like zoning, conservation, and licensing.
Contact & Engage
- Town Hall: 1 North Main Street, Berkley, MA 02779.
- Town Administrator’s Office: 508-824-6794, selectmen@berkleyma.us.
- Report a problem: potholes, downed limbs, and transfer-station questions go to the Highway Department at 508-824-8380.
- Show up: the Board of Selectmen meets in the Moitoza-Pettey Hearing Room at Town Hall, and the public is welcome.
Want to weigh in on a town decision? Learn how to contact your officials so they actually hear you.