Town Leadership
The Town Manager’s Office
The Town Manager
Brian P. Howard
When a Randolph street goes unplowed or the school budget runs into the town budget, one official owns the result. Under the charter voters adopted in 2010, the elected Town Council hires a professional Town Manager to run the town, and that manager is Brian P. Howard, whose formal title is Chief Executive and Administrative Officer. He oversees every department, appoints department heads, and prepares the budget the Council then votes on. He knows the building from the inside: before the new charter he served as Randolph’s Town Clerk, so he ran the town’s elections and records before he ran its government. What he does not have is a personal mandate from voters. He answers to the nine people Randolph elects, and the Council can replace him, which keeps a trained manager in charge of the machinery while elected residents stay in charge of the manager.
| Role | Town Manager (Chief Executive and Administrative Officer) |
|---|---|
| Appointed by | The Town Council |
| Office | Town Hall, 41 South Main Street, Randolph, MA 02368 |
| Phone | 781-961-0911 |
| bhoward@randolph-ma.gov | |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM |
| Website | randolph-ma.gov |
What the Town Manager Does
- Runs the departments. Police, fire, public works, health, and the rest all answer to the Town Manager, who appoints their leaders.
- Builds the budget. Each year the Manager proposes how the town will spend its money, then sends it to the Council to debate and vote.
- Carries out the Council’s votes. The Council sets policy and the budget, and the Manager turns those decisions into the services you see on the street.
- Answers to the Council. The nine councillors hire, evaluate, and can replace the Manager, who has no veto and no separate vote from the public.
The Administration
- Department heads are appointed by the Town Manager and carry out policy, from plowing snow to inspecting restaurants.
- The Town Council is the check: it must adopt the budget and it hires and evaluates the Manager.
- Boards and commissions, appointed by the Manager or the Council, decide questions like zoning, conservation, and historic preservation.
Contact & Engage
- Town Hall: 41 South Main Street, Randolph, MA 02368. Town Manager’s office 781-961-0911.
- Email: bhoward@randolph-ma.gov.
- Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.
- Show up: the Council meets in Chapin Hall on Monday evenings twice a month, and the public is welcome.
Sources
Randolph government website (randolph-ma.gov). Verified July 2026.
Want to weigh in on a town decision? Learn how to contact your officials so they actually hear you.