Current Newburyport Mayor’s Chief of Staff Andrew Levine will officially become Hatfield’s new town administrator on Nov. 12.
Photo credit: Hatfield CommunityTV
HATFIELD — During its regular meeting on Oct. 15, the Hatfield Select Board announced that Andrew Levine will become Hatfield’s new town administrator.
Levine, who currently serves as the mayor’s chief of staff in Newburyport, was one of four finalists who were interviewed for the position during a Sept. 26 meeting.
According to the Select Board, he will officially begin in the new position Nov. 12, since current Town Administrator Marlene Michonski is set to retire at the end of this year.
“I’ve had the opportunity to talk to Andrew a number of times over the last couple of weeks, and [he’s] really just a great choice,” said Select Board Chair Diana Szynal. “Sharp, sharp guy; really pleasant … it’s going to be exciting.”
According to Szynal, Levine has a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard Kennedy School and has extensive experience in finance and government.
During his interview, Levine said he spent four years working at MassDevelopment where he did a lot of procurement work and managing consulting projects in different communities.
He then became the director of administrative services for the town of Billerica before becoming the mayor’s chief of staff in Newburyport, where he is responsible for all collective bargaining agreements for the city’s budget process, for grant applications and for other management situations.
“I’d really now like to take the opportunity to … take that higher leadership role as a town administrator and to be the person responsible for all those tasks,” said Levine, who is a native of Framingham. “I feel like it’s the next stage of my career, and I feel like I have a lot to give back, especially in a special community, one like Hatfield.”
Levine said that he and his family, who currently live in Lowell, believe that the Pioneer Valley is the perfect place to live.
“I’ve been trying to find the right home, both my professional and personal life,” Levine said. “We’re looking for the right place to start that home and living out here in Pioneer Valley feels like the right place.”
During his interview, Levine emphasized the importance of meeting people where they are at when communicating with the public and different boards and committees in the community.
He added that he would love to shadow every department in Hatfield early on to get a sense of what their day looks like and see the different things each are working on.
“I think there’s a good flow in Hatfield about separating different issues for different members, so make sure you’re checking in on different projects and committees with them, and do that with regularity,” Levine said.
When asked what about this town administrator job inspires him, Levine mentioned Hatfield’s strong sense of collaboration.
“We’ve got real issues here in Hatfield that people care about that are going to affect the future of this town, and I want to be the kind of leader who can help frame those issues for the board, frame those issues for residents and help us make the right decisions for now and for the future,” Levine said. “I’m inspired by the sense of collaboration here.”
In her announcement to the public about the position, Szynal said she is “very excited” to welcome Levine and his family to the area.
“He’s very much looking forward to getting settled in Western Mass,” Szynal said.
After looking at all applications for the position, Hatfield’s Town Administrator Search Committee narrowed the candidates down to four. The other three finalists included former Hatfield Select Board member Brian Moriarty, current Hatfield Planning Board member Douglas Finn and Northampton native Michael Lapinski, who was a town manager in Pennsylvania.
