Town Leadership
The General Manager’s Office
The General Manager
Tony Mazzucco
Norwood has never had a mayor, and it does not use the usual title of town manager either. Its chief administrator is the General Manager, an unusual name that Norwood has kept for the person who actually runs the town. When a street goes unplowed, a field stays closed, or the power blinks out, the official with the most operational control was never on a ballot you could mark. Tony Mazzucco has held the post since December 2017, hired by the five elected members of the Board of Selectmen, who can let him go if they lose faith in him. He is the chief administrative officer: he hires and supervises most department heads, shapes and presents the annual budget, negotiates the contracts that set what town workers are paid, and carries the town’s biggest spending requests to Town Meeting for the final vote. A trained public administrator with professional credentials in municipal management, Mazzucco is the person a resident is most likely to reach when something in town is broken and needs a decision.
| Role | General Manager (chief administrative officer) |
|---|---|
| In office | Since December 2017 |
| Selection | Appointed by the Board of Selectmen under contract, not elected |
| Office | Town Hall, 566 Washington Street, Norwood, MA 02062 |
| Phone | 781-762-1240 |
| managers@norwoodma.gov | |
| Website | norwoodma.gov |
What the General Manager Does
- Runs the departments. Police, fire, public works, health, recreation, the library, and even the town’s own electric and broadband utility answer to the General Manager, who appoints most of their leaders.
- Builds the budget. Each year the General Manager proposes how the town will spend its money, then defends that plan before the Board of Selectmen and Town Meeting.
- Answers to the board. The General Manager serves at the pleasure of the elected Board of Selectmen and carries out the policies it sets.
- Reports to Town Meeting. Major spending and bylaws still need the vote of the representative Town Meeting members elected from every precinct.
The Administration
- Department heads are appointed by the General Manager and carry out policy, from plowing snow to inspecting restaurants.
- The Board of Selectmen is the check: it hires and can fire the General Manager, sets policy, and grants the licenses and permits that shape daily life in town.
- Boards and commissions, many appointed by the Board of Selectmen, decide questions like zoning, conservation, and licensing.
Contact & Engage
- Town Hall: 566 Washington Street, Norwood, MA 02062. Main line 781-762-1240.
- General Manager’s Office: managers@norwoodma.gov.
- Report a problem: service requests like potholes and missed pickups go through the town’s contact tools at norwoodma.gov.
- Show up: the Board of Selectmen meets on Tuesday evenings in Room 34 of 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.