Town Leadership
The Town Coordinator’s Office
The Town Coordinator
Michele Giarusso
When a road goes unplowed or a town department needs a decision between board meetings, the person with the most operational control over the response is appointed, not elected. Michele Giarusso is Leyden’s Town Coordinator, appointed by the three elected members of the Select Board to manage the daily operations of the town. In a town of about 700 people this is a lean office, staffed part of the week, and it is the hinge that keeps a small government running: the Coordinator implements and administers the policies and programs that come before the Select Board, researches and provides the background the board needs before it decides, and serves as the liaison between the board’s office and the town’s departments, as well as with state and other municipal offices.
That role matters most in the gap between meetings. The Select Board sets policy and signs the warrants that decide what reaches Town Meeting, but it meets only on a posted schedule, and the town cannot pause in between. The Coordinator carries the town’s business forward in that gap: preparing material for the budget, keeping departments coordinated, answering residents, and making sure what Town Meeting and the board voted actually gets done. Because the office also serves as the town’s ADA Coordinator, it is the point of contact for questions about access to public buildings and services. The Coordinator is appointed under contract and serves at the pleasure of the Select Board, which means the board can replace the office if it loses confidence in it. So the plan to fix a problem in Leyden usually crosses the Coordinator’s desk first, then goes to the board, and, when it involves real money or a new bylaw, to Town Meeting for the final vote that only registered voters in the room can cast.
| Role | Town Coordinator and ADA Coordinator (appointed administrative officer) |
|---|---|
| Selection | Appointed by the Select Board under contract, not elected |
| Office | Town Offices, 7 Brattleboro Road, Leyden, MA 01301 |
| Phone | 413-774-4111 Ext. 1 |
| Website | townofleyden.com |
What the Town Coordinator Does
- Manages daily operations. The Coordinator keeps the town’s departments and offices coordinated between board meetings and is the everyday point of contact for residents and other governments.
- Administers policy. Each program and policy that the Select Board adopts is implemented and administered through the Coordinator’s office, which also researches and prepares the background the board needs to decide.
- Answers to the board. The Coordinator 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 Leyden that means every registered voter who walks in.
The Administration
- The Select Board is the town’s chief executive body: it appoints and can replace the Coordinator, sets policy, makes appointments to town offices, and signs the warrants that put questions before Town Meeting.
- Department heads such as the Highway Superintendent, the Town Clerk, and the appointed Treasurer and Town Accountant carry out the day-to-day work, from plowing roads to keeping the town’s records and books.
- Boards and commissions, many of them appointed by the Select Board, decide questions like zoning, conservation, and public health.
Contact & Engage
- Town Offices: 7 Brattleboro Road, Leyden, MA 01301.
- Town Coordinator’s Office: 413-774-4111 Ext. 1, towncoord@townofleyden.com, open Tuesday through Thursday.
- Report a problem: road and drainage problems go to the Highway Department; for anything else, start with the Town Coordinator’s office.
- Show up: the Select Board meets on its posted schedule 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.