Town Leadership
The Town Administrator’s Office
The Town Administrator
Brenda Lessard
When a culvert washes out or a grant application comes due, the person who carries the town’s daily business is appointed, not elected. Brenda Lessard has been Chesterfield’s Town Administrator since 2021, hired by the three elected members of the Select Board, and she serves at their pleasure. She came to the job after years as the town clerk in neighboring Williamsburg. As Town Administrator she keeps the town running between board meetings: she helps shape and present the annual budget, coordinates the offices and department work, applies for and manages grants, and carries the board’s decisions into action. In Chesterfield the Select Board remains the town’s elected chief executive, so the Town Administrator does the daily work and answers to the board, and the biggest spending still goes to Town Meeting for the final vote.
| Role | Town Administrator (appointed, works for the Select Board) |
|---|---|
| Selection | Appointed by the Select Board, not elected |
| Office | Town Office, 422 Main Road, PO Box 299, Chesterfield, MA 01012 |
| Hours | Monday to Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. |
| Phone | 413-296-4771 |
| Website | townofchesterfieldma.com |
What the Town Administrator Does
- Runs the daily work. The offices and department work of the town, from the highway crew to the library, run through the Town Administrator between meetings of the board.
- Helps build the budget. Each year the Town Administrator works with the Select Board and the Finance Committee on how the town will spend its money, then that plan goes to Town Meeting, which holds the final vote.
- Answers to the board. The Town Administrator 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 Town Meeting, and in Chesterfield that means every registered voter who walks in.
How the Town Is Run
- The Select Board is the town’s elected chief executive: three members who set policy, sign the warrants that put questions before Town Meeting, and hire and supervise the Town Administrator.
- The Town Administrator carries out the board’s decisions and keeps the offices running day to day.
- Boards and commissions, some appointed by the Select Board and many elected town-wide, decide questions like planning, conservation, and public health.
Contact & Engage
- Town Office: 422 Main Road, PO Box 299, Chesterfield, MA 01012.
- Town Administrator’s Office: 413-296-4771, open Monday through Thursday.
- Report a problem: road washouts, culverts, and plowing go to the Highway Department.
- Show up: the Select Board meets on its published calendar at the Town Office, and the public is welcome.
Want to weigh in on a town decision? Learn how to contact your officials so they actually hear you.