Town Leadership
The Mayor’s Office
The Mayor
Erin V. Joyce
When a Braintree street goes unplowed or a new building rises near South Shore Plaza, one elected official owns the result. Erin V. Joyce is the chief executive of Braintree under the strong-mayor charter the town adopted in 2008, which makes her responsible for running the town day to day. She oversees every department, appoints most department heads and board members, and builds the budget the Town Council then votes on. Joyce took office in January 2024 as the town’s first woman mayor and its third mayor overall, after defeating the incumbent by more than 500 votes. An engineer by training who once chaired the Braintree Planning Board, she came to the job already fluent in how the town gets built. Because Braintree hands real power to an elected mayor, when a town service works or fails the responsibility lands on this desk.
| Role | Mayor (chief executive) |
|---|---|
| In office | Since January 2024 |
| Term | Four-year term, through January 2028 |
| Office | Town Hall, 1 John F. Kennedy Memorial Drive, Braintree, MA 02184 |
| Phone | 781-794-8100 |
| mayorsoffice@braintreema.gov | |
| Website | braintreema.gov |
What the Mayor Does
- Runs the departments. Police, fire, public works, health, recreation, and the rest all answer to the Mayor, who appoints their leaders.
- Builds the budget. Each year the Mayor proposes how the town will spend its money, then sends the plan to the Town Council.
- Carries out the laws. When the Council passes an ordinance, the Mayor is responsible for putting it into effect across the town.
- Sits with the schools. Under the charter the Mayor is an ex-officio member of the School Committee, linking Town Hall and the classroom.
The Administration
- Department heads are appointed by the Mayor and carry out policy, from plowing snow to inspecting restaurants.
- The Town Council is the check: it must approve the budget and votes the Mayor’s proposals up or down.
- Boards and commissions, most of them appointed by the Mayor, decide questions like zoning, conservation, and historic preservation.
Contact & Engage
- Town Hall: 1 John F. Kennedy Memorial Drive, Braintree, MA 02184. Main line 781-794-8000.
- Mayor’s Office: 781-794-8100, mayorsoffice@braintreema.gov, open during Town Hall hours.
- Report a problem: potholes, missed trash, and other service requests go through Braintree’s online SeeClickFix tool.
- Show up: the Council meets in the Cahill Auditorium on the first and third Tuesdays, and the public is welcome.
Want to weigh in on a town decision? Learn how to contact your officials so they actually hear you.