Town Leadership
The Town Manager’s Office
The Town Manager
John Curran
Tewksbury has never had a mayor. When a street goes unplowed or a new project rises along Main Street, the person with the most operational control was never on a ballot you could mark. John Curran is the Town Manager, 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 hires and supervises most department heads, shapes and presents the annual budget, and carries the town’s biggest spending requests to open Town Meeting for the final vote. Curran came to the job in December 2024 with a long career in Massachusetts local government behind him, having served as the town manager of neighboring Billerica and, before that, as the mayor of Woburn. He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Boston College and a master’s in public administration from the University of Massachusetts Boston. Because Tewksbury hands the daily machinery to an appointed manager, the plan to fix a problem usually crosses his desk first, then goes to the Select Board and to Town Meeting.
| Role | Town Manager (chief administrative officer) |
|---|---|
| In office | Since December 2024 |
| Selection | Appointed by the Select Board under contract, not elected |
| Office | Town Hall, 1009 Main Street, 2nd Floor, Tewksbury, MA 01876 |
| Phone | 978-640-4300 |
| Website | tewksbury-ma.gov |
What the Town Manager Does
- Runs the departments. Police, fire, public works, health, recreation, and the rest answer to the Town Manager, who appoints most of their leaders.
- Builds the budget. Each year the Manager proposes how the town will spend its money, then defends that plan before the Select Board and open Town Meeting.
- Answers to the board. The Manager serves at the pleasure of the elected Select Board and carries out the policies it sets.
- Reports to Town Meeting. Major spending and new bylaws still need the vote of the registered voters who attend Town Meeting.
The Administration
- Department heads are appointed by the Town Manager and carry out policy, from plowing snow to inspecting restaurants.
- The Select Board is the check: it hires and can fire the Manager, sets policy, and decides much of what reaches Town Meeting.
- Boards and commissions, many of them appointed by the Select Board, decide questions like zoning, conservation, and licensing.
Contact & Engage
- Town Hall: 1009 Main Street, Tewksbury, MA 01876. Main line 978-640-4300.
- Town Manager’s Office: 978-640-4300, on the second floor of Town Hall.
- Report a problem: service requests like potholes and missed pickups go through the town’s online contact tools at tewksbury-ma.gov.
- Show up: the Select Board meets on Tuesday evenings 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.