Town Leadership
The Town Administrator’s Office
The Town Administrator
Wendy Brough
When a harbor jetty fails or a road washes out in a nor’easter, the person with the most operational control over the response is appointed, not elected. Wendy Brough 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 her go if they lose faith in her. She is the chief administrative officer: she appoints and supervises most department heads, shapes and presents the annual budget, and carries the town’s biggest spending requests to Town Meeting for the final vote. Brough has worked for Oak Bluffs for more than two decades and served as assistant town administrator before this; she held the top job in an interim capacity beginning in April 2026 and the Select Board voted to make the appointment permanent that May. Because Oak Bluffs hands the daily machinery to an appointed administrator, the plan to fix a problem usually crosses her desk first, then goes to the board and to Town Meeting.
| Role | Town Administrator (chief administrative officer) |
|---|---|
| Selection | Appointed by the Select Board under contract, not elected |
| Office | Town Hall, 56 School Street, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557 |
| Phone | 508-693-3554 ext. 113 |
| Website | oakbluffsma.gov |
What the Town Administrator Does
- Runs the departments. Police, fire, public works, health, recreation, and the rest answer to the Town Administrator, who appoints most of their leaders.
- Builds the budget. Each year the Town Administrator proposes how the town will spend its money for the town and the schools, then defends that plan before the Select Board and Town Meeting, which holds the final vote.
- Answers to the board. The Town 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 Oak Bluffs that means every registered voter who walks in.
The Administration
- Department heads are appointed by 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 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: 56 School Street, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557.
- Town Administrator’s Office: 508-693-3554 ext. 113.
- Report a problem: washed-out roads, downed limbs, and drainage 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.