Town Leadership
The Town Administrator’s Office
The Town Administrator
Rebecca Torres
When a road goes unplowed or a new project comes before the town, the person with the most operational control over the response is appointed, not elected. Rebecca Torres is the Town Administrator, hired by the three 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 oversees the departments, shapes and presents the annual budget, and carries the town’s biggest spending requests to Town Meeting for the final vote. She is appointed by the Select Board and serves under contract. Because Sunderland 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 Office Building, 12 School Street, Sunderland, MA 01375 |
| Phone | (413) 665-1441 ext. 9 |
| Website | townofsunderland.us |
What the Town Administrator Does
- Runs the departments. Police, fire, highway, health, recreation, and the rest answer to the Town Administrator and the Select Board.
- 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, which holds the final vote.
- 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 Town Meeting, and in Sunderland that means every registered voter who walks in.
The Administration
- Department heads carry out policy, from plowing snow to inspecting septic systems.
- The Select Board is the check: it hires and can release 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 Office Building: 12 School Street, Sunderland, MA 01375.
- Town Administrator’s Office: (413) 665-1441 ext. 9.
- Report a problem: potholes, drainage, and plowing go to the Highway Department at (413) 665-1460.
- Show up: the Select Board meets Monday evenings at the Town Office Building, and the public is welcome.
Want to weigh in on a town decision? Learn how to contact your officials so they actually hear you.