Town Leadership
The Town Administrator’s Office
The Town Administrator
Molly Curtin-Schaefer
When a road goes unplowed or a permit stalls, the person with the most day-to-day control over the response in Tyringham is appointed, not elected. Molly Curtin-Schaefer is the Town Administrator, hired by the three elected members of the Select Board to run the town day to day, and the board can let her go if it loses faith in her. She is the chief administrative officer: she keeps the departments running, helps shape and present the annual budget, and works out of the office at Town Hall that residents call first when something needs doing. In a town this small the administrator wears several hats at once, but the line of accountability is short and clear, because she answers directly to a board that every voter in town helped elect. Because Tyringham 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, when money or a bylaw is involved, to Town Meeting.
| Role | Town Administrator (chief administrative officer) |
|---|---|
| Selection | Appointed by the Select Board under contract, not elected |
| Office | Town Hall, 116 Main Road, Tyringham, MA 01264 |
| Phone | 413-243-1749 ext. 101 |
| TownHall01264@gmail.com | |
| Website | tyringham-ma.gov |
What the Town Administrator Does
- Runs the departments. Police, fire, public works, the library, and the rest of Town Hall look to the Town Administrator to keep the daily work moving.
- Builds the budget. Each year the Administrator helps shape how the town will spend its money, then that plan goes 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 Tyringham that means every registered voter who walks in.
The Administration
- Department heads carry out policy day to day, from plowing snow to licensing dogs to running the transfer station.
- The Select Board is the check: it hires and can fire the Administrator, sets policy, serves as the Board of Health, 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 planning.
Contact & Engage
- Town Hall: 116 Main Road, Tyringham, MA 01264.
- Town Administrator’s Office: 413-243-1749 ext. 101, TownHall01264@gmail.com.
- Report a problem: potholes, broken lights, and missed pickups go to the Department of Public Works.
- Show up: the Select Board meets monthly 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.