Town Leadership
The Town Manager’s Office
The Town Manager
John B. Sousa, Jr., Acting Town Manager
When a street goes unplowed or a new building rises along Route 3, the person with the most operational control is an appointed professional, not an elected official. That person is the Town Manager, hired by the five elected members of the Select Board to run the town day to day, and the board can let the manager go if it loses faith. For nearly twenty years the job belonged to Paul Cohen, who left in May 2026 to manage Exeter, New Hampshire. The Select Board named John B. Sousa, Jr., the town’s finance director and treasurer, as Acting Town Manager effective May 26, 2026, while it runs a formal search for a permanent replacement. As acting manager he is the chief administrative officer: he hires and supervises most department heads, shapes and presents the annual budget, and carries the town’s biggest spending requests to Town Meeting for the final vote. Because Chelmsford hands the daily machinery to an appointed manager, the plan to fix a problem usually crosses that desk first, then goes to the board and to Town Meeting.
| Role | Acting Town Manager (chief administrative officer) |
|---|---|
| Status | Acting since May 2026; a permanent manager search is underway |
| Selection | Appointed by the Select Board under contract, not elected |
| Office | Town Offices, 50 Billerica Road, Room 201, Chelmsford, MA 01824 |
| Phone | 978-250-5202 |
| Website | chelmsfordma.gov |
What the Town Manager Does
- Runs the departments. Police, fire, public works, health, the library, 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 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 the representative Town Meeting, the roughly 165 elected members.
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, decide questions like zoning, conservation, and licensing.
Contact & Engage
- Town Offices: 50 Billerica Road, Chelmsford, MA 01824. Main line 978-250-5201.
- Town Manager’s Office: 978-250-5202, tmoffice@chelmsfordma.gov.
- Report a problem: potholes, missed pickups, and street lights go through the town’s SeeClickFix tool at chelmsfordma.gov.
- Show up: the Select Board meets Monday evenings in Room 204 of the Town Offices, and the public is welcome.
Sources
Chelmsford government website (chelmsfordma.gov). Verified July 2026.
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