Town Leadership
The Georgetown Town Administrator’s Office
The Town Administrator
Orlando Pacheco
When a road goes unplowed or a permit stalls, the person with the most operational control over the response is appointed, not elected. Orlando Pacheco is the Town Administrator, hired by the five elected members of the Select Board to run the town day to day, and they can let him go if they lose faith in him. He began the job in January 2022, coming from the town administrator’s post in Lancaster and, before that, the purchasing office in Haverhill. He is the chief administrative officer: he oversees the town’s departments and its human resources, shapes and presents the annual budget, and serves the town as its acting finance director and chief procurement officer. Because Georgetown hands the daily machinery to an appointed administrator, the plan to fix a problem usually crosses his desk first, then goes to the Select Board and to Town Meeting for the votes that make it real.
| Role | Town Administrator (chief administrative officer) |
|---|---|
| Selection | Appointed by the Select Board under contract, not elected |
| Office | Town Hall, 1 Library Street, Georgetown, MA 01833 |
| Phone | (978) 352-5755 |
| Website | georgetownma.gov |
What the Town Administrator Does
- Runs the departments. Police, fire, highway, health, recreation, and the rest answer up through the Town Administrator, who oversees their daily operations.
- Builds the budget. Each year the Administrator proposes how the town will spend its money, then defends that plan before the Select Board and Town Meeting, which holds the final vote.
- Answers to the board. The 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 Georgetown that means every registered voter who walks in.
The Administration
- Department heads carry out policy day to day, from plowing snow to inspecting restaurants.
- The Select Board is the check: it hires and can replace the Administrator, 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 Hall: 1 Library Street, Georgetown, MA 01833.
- Town Administrator’s Office: (978) 352-5755.
- Report a problem: potholes, broken lights, and road repairs go to the Highway Department.
- Show up: the Select Board meets on its published calendar at Town Hall, and the public is welcome.
Want to weigh in on a town decision? Learn how to contact your officials so they actually hear you.