Town Leadership
The Town Administrator’s Office
The Town Administrator
R. Christopher Brittain
When a road goes unplowed or a permit stalls, the person with the most operational control over the response is appointed, not elected. R. Christopher Brittain is the Town Administrator, hired by the three 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. Under a special act of the Legislature, Chapter 471 of the Acts of 1990 as amended in 2022, he is the town’s chief municipal administrative and fiscal officer, accountable to the Select Board. He appoints all municipal employees except Town Counsel, subject to the board’s approval, and generally supervises the departments, boards and commissions. He is the town’s chief budget officer, preparing the operating and capital budgets for the board’s approval, and the Chief Procurement Officer for everything except the schools and the library. Because Lee hands the daily machinery to an appointed administrator, the plan to fix a problem usually crosses his desk first, then goes to the board and to Town Meeting.
| Role | Town Administrator (chief municipal administrative and fiscal officer) |
|---|---|
| Authority | Special Act, Chapter 471 of the Acts of 1990, amended in 2022 |
| Selection | Appointed by the Select Board, accountable to it, not elected |
| Office | Town Hall, 32 Main Street, Lee, MA 01238 |
| Phone | 413-409-5976 |
| Website | leema.gov |
What the Town Administrator Does
- Runs the departments. Police, fire, public works, the clerk, the treasurer and the rest answer to the Town Administrator, who appoints their staff subject to the Select Board’s approval.
- Builds the budget. Each year the Town 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 Town Administrator is accountable to 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 Lee that means every registered voter who walks in.
The Administration
- Department heads carry out policy, from plowing snow to inspecting restaurants, and their staff are appointed by the Town Administrator.
- The Select Board is the check: it hires and can replace the Town 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: 32 Main Street, Lee, MA 01238.
- Town Administrator’s Office: 413-409-5976.
- Report a problem: potholes, broken lights, and missed pickups go to the Department of Public Works.
- Show up: the Select Board meets the first and third Tuesday of the month at 7 pm in the Town Hall courtroom, and the public is welcome.
Want to weigh in on a town decision? Learn how to contact your officials so they actually hear you.