Town Leadership
The Town Administrator’s Office
The Town Administrator
Jennifer Rand
When a road washes out or a housing plan comes up for review, the person with the most operational control over the response is appointed, not elected. Jennifer Rand 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 department heads, shapes and presents the annual budget, and carries the town’s major spending requests to Town Meeting for the final vote. She is appointed by the Select Board and serves under contract. Because West Tisbury 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, where every registered voter in the room has the final say.
| Role | Town Administrator (chief administrative officer) |
|---|---|
| Selection | Appointed by the Select Board under contract, not elected |
| Office | Town Hall, 1059 State Road, West Tisbury, MA 02575 |
| Phone | 508-696-0100 |
| Website | westtisbury-ma.gov |
What the Town Administrator Does
- Runs the departments. Police, fire, highway, health, the library, and the rest work under the Town Administrator, who coordinates their budgets and their work.
- 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 West Tisbury that means every registered voter who walks in.
The Administration
- Department heads run the day-to-day work of the town, from clearing a town road to inspecting a septic system.
- The Select Board is the check: it hires and can dismiss 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 Hall: 1059 State Road, West Tisbury, MA 02575.
- Town Administrator’s Office: 508-696-0100.
- Report a problem: washed-out shoulders, downed signs, and road repairs go to the Highway Department.
- Show up: the Select Board meets Wednesdays at 4:30 pm 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.