Town Leadership
The Natick Town Administrator’s Office
The Town Administrator
James Errickson
When a street goes unplowed or a permit stalls or the school budget runs short, the person with the most day-to-day control is an appointed professional, not an elected official. James Errickson 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 is the chief administrative officer: he supervises nearly every town department except the schools, manages the town’s money, and shapes and presents the annual budget that the Select Board and Town Meeting then act on. Errickson did not arrive as a stranger. He came to Natick in 2015 to lead the Community and Economic Development Department, became Deputy Town Administrator, and was named Town Administrator in 2021. Before Natick he worked at MassDevelopment, the state’s development finance agency, and led planning and development for the City of Everett, with earlier work on urban renewal in Lowell.
| Role | Town Administrator (chief administrative officer) |
|---|---|
| In office | Since 2021 |
| Selection | Appointed by the Select Board under contract, not elected |
| Office | Natick Town Hall, 2nd Floor, 13 East Central Street, Natick, MA 01760 |
| Phone | 508-647-6410 |
| jerrickson@natickma.org | |
| Website | natickma.gov |
What the Town Administrator Does
- Runs the departments. Police, fire, public works, health, recreation, and the rest answer to the Town Administrator, who supervises their leaders.
- 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.
- 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 the representative Town Meeting, the 180 elected members.
The Administration
- Department heads report to the Town Administrator and carry out policy, from plowing snow to inspecting restaurants.
- The Select Board is the check: it hires and can fire 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: 13 East Central Street, Natick, MA 01760. Main line 508-647-6400.
- Town Administrator’s Office: 508-647-6410.
- Report a problem: service requests like potholes and missed pickups go through the town’s Report a Concern tool at natickma.gov.
- Show up: the Select Board meets on Wednesday evenings at the Morse Institute Library, and the public is welcome.
Sources
Natick government website (natickma.gov). Verified July 2026.
Town Administrator letterhead, May 2024 (natickma.gov), for the Town Administrator’s email address. Verified September 2026.
Want to weigh in on a town decision? Learn how to contact your officials so they actually hear you.