The Douglas Town Administrator’s Office

Nick L. Miglionico

When a road goes unplowed after a storm, the person with the most operational control over the response is not on any ballot. Nick L. Miglionico, the Police Chief, is serving as Temporary Town Administrator, and the office exists because the Legislature created it for Douglas by special act. He is the chief administrative officer of the town, hired by the five elected members of the Board of Selectmen, and he serves at their pleasure: they can let him go if they lose confidence in him. That single fact tells you the shape of power here. The board is elected and sets the direction; the administrator is appointed and makes the machine run.

The job is defined by what it controls. The Town Administrator appoints most of the town’s department heads and supervises the daily work of the municipal departments, from the Highway Department that plows and paves to the offices that issue permits and licenses. He builds the town’s two most important financial documents: the annual operating budget and the capital improvement plan that schedules big purchases like a fire truck or a roof. He does not get the last word on either. He recommends, the Board of Selectmen reviews, and Town Meeting casts the deciding vote, because in Douglas the money is appropriated by whoever shows up in the hall.

The Town Administrator also runs the mechanics of the Board of Selectmen itself. His office prepares the board’s agendas, carries out the policies the board adopts, and administers the licensing the board grants, the permits for restaurants, alcohol, and the other regulated business a small town oversees. It is also the point of contact that keeps the town’s many volunteer boards and committees supported and scheduled. Think of the split this way: the Board of Selectmen decides what Douglas will do, and the Town Administrator’s office is where that decision becomes a budget line, a work order, or a warrant article. For a resident, that is useful to know. A problem that needs a policy change belongs in front of the elected board, but a problem that needs a repair, an inspection, or a permit usually starts with a call to this office, and the administrator is the person who can move it.