Town Leadership
The Town Administrator’s Office
The Town Administrator
Jennifer Morse
When a road goes unplowed, a water main breaks, or a permit stalls, the person with the most operational control over the response is appointed, not elected. Jennifer Morse is the Town Administrator, hired by the five elected members of the Board of Selectmen to run Cheshire day to day, and they can end her contract if they lose confidence in her. That single line explains a lot about how power works here: the board sets the direction and holds the vote, and the administrator turns that direction into a working town.
Her job is the how, not the what. She prepares and presents the annual budget, laying out for the board and for Town Meeting exactly what the town proposes to spend and why. She oversees the day-to-day work of the departments, from public works to the clerk’s office, coordinates the people the town hires, and manages contracts, grants, and the town’s finances between meetings. When a big spending request or a new bylaw is headed for a vote, it usually crosses her desk first, so that by the time it reaches the floor of Town Meeting the numbers have been checked and the options laid out.
What she does not do is decide alone. The administrator answers to the Board of Selectmen, carries out the policies the board sets, and cannot spend money that Town Meeting has not voted. That is the point of the design. The daily machinery is handled by a professional who does this full time, while the decisions that bind the town stay with the residents who elect the board and fill the hall in June. For a resident with a problem, the practical path is short: the plan to fix it usually starts in this office, then goes to the board, and the biggest questions go to Town Meeting for the final say.
| Role | Town Administrator (chief administrative officer) |
|---|---|
| Selection | Appointed by the Board of Selectmen under contract, not elected |
| Office | Community House and Town Offices, 191 Church Street, Cheshire, MA 01225 |
| Phone | (413) 743-1690 ext. 100 |
| Website | cheshire-ma.gov |
What the Town Administrator Does
- Runs the departments. Police, fire, public works, health, the senior center, and the rest answer to the Town Administrator, who oversees their daily work.
- Builds the budget. Each year the Administrator proposes how the town will spend its money for the town and the schools, then defends that plan before the Board of Selectmen and Town Meeting, which holds the final vote.
- Answers to the board. The Administrator serves at the pleasure of the elected Board of Selectmen and carries out the policies it sets.
- Reports to Town Meeting. Major spending and bylaws still need the vote of Town Meeting, and in Cheshire that means every registered voter who walks in.
The Administration
- Department heads are appointed by the Town Administrator and carry out policy, from plowing snow to inspecting restaurants.
- The Board of Selectmen is the check: it hires and can fire 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: Community House and Town Offices, 191 Church Street, Cheshire, MA 01225.
- Town Administrator’s Office: (413) 743-1690 ext. 100.
- Report a problem: potholes, broken lights, and water issues go to the Department of Public Works.
- Show up: the Board of Selectmen meets at 6:30 p.m. at the Community House, 191 Church Street, and the public is welcome.
Want to weigh in on a town decision? Learn how to contact your officials so they actually hear you.