Lyn Simmons has been the town manager in Longmeadow since November 2019.
Reminder Publishing file photo
LONGMEADOW — Five years ago, Lyn Simmons took the helm as the town manager in Longmeadow. Since then, the town has navigated the coronavirus pandemic, opened several new facilities and worked to balance the needs of the town against the state’s tax ceiling.
Sitting in a conference room at the Greenwood Center, the new home of the town’s municipal offices, Simmons reflected on her tenure in Longmeadow and what she would like to accomplish in the future.
Longmeadow’s government is built with a strong town manager as its chief administrative officer. The charter gives the town manager authority over negotiating contracts, securing grants and the day-to-day operations of the town, while being accountable to the Select Board.
Simmons succeeded Stephen Crane as the town manager in November of 2019. Prior to joining Longmeadow’s municipal government, Simmons was the chief of staff to Northampton’s then-mayor, David Narkiewicz. She began her career in municipal government in 2004, after pursuing the legal profession and finding it was not for her. She said that a job listing to be the clerk of the Northampton City Council caught her eye and she thought it sounded interesting.
“I fell in love with the work,” Simmons said. “You get to make a difference every day.”
The latest example of that is the opening of three newly redesigned and accessible playgrounds at the town’s elementary schools. That initiative began with some Blueberry Hill School students and the parents of one child who uses a wheelchair for mobility. The idea for a playground that was not only safe for all students, but also offered the ability for students of all abilities to play together, caught fire. Working with the Select Board and School Committee, Simmons helped secure temporary solutions, such as rubber matting that would not cause safety issues for those using mobility devices. In May 2023, the town voted to approve funding for new playgrounds at all three elementary schools. They were officially opened this fall and will be used by children for decades to come.
Simmons said most initiatives do not immediately have the overwhelming support of residents, the way the playgrounds did. Instead, she said, people usually “need more education” on the initiative and why the town wants to pursue it. “It’s time consuming, but that’s what we should be doing. People should be asking us these tough questions,” Simmons said.
The playgrounds are not the only facilities that have been upgraded or built in the past five years. Simmons has helped cut the ribbon on the Adult Community Center and the new DPW facility. She also oversaw the transition of the municipal offices to the Greenwood Center, which used to house the town’s Council on Aging.
“The Adult Center exceeded expectations,” Simmons said, adding, “It’s a model for what other towns should be aspiring toward.”
While these projects have had various price tags — $1.4 million for the offices, $20 million for the DPW and $40 million for the Adult Center — nothing has come close to the projected $152.2 million for the new, combined middle school that is in the works. The Massachusetts School Building Authority would reimburse the town for $45.7 million of that, but she said it is by far the largest project she has worked on.
The other side of the large investments in Longmeadow’s future over the past few years is the impact they have had on the town’s taxes. Longmeadow has the highest property tax rate in the state at $20.68 per $1,000 of value for 2024. In 2022, the tax rate was higher, $24.64, close to the state’s allowable tax ceiling of $25 per $1,000 of value.
Simmons said the tax ceiling is something the town has to keep in mind. Of the ability to raise money through taxes, she said, “It’s not a blank check to do whatever we want.” At the same time, she said people shouldn’t think of the ceiling as “an imminent cliff.”
For several years, the town tried to use less than the maximum tax levy of 2.5% above the previous year’s levy, plus new growth. However, she said doing so, “impeded” Longmeadow’s ability to “move forward.” Simmons said, “I’m really glad the Finance Committee and the Select Board, with the School Committee, saw the value in going up to 2.5%. We’ve been able to do some really great things in the past couple of years.”
While Simmons may be the face of Longmeadow in some ways, she said running the town is a joint effort. As such, she praised Assistant Town Manager and Community Development Director Corrin Meise-Munns, not only for securing grants, an area in which she said Meise-Munns has “totally knocked it out of the park,” but also for her work on the town’s Long-Range Plan, which has been nominated for an award.
Similarly, Simmons said that when she applied for the town manager position, a deciding factor was the presence of a long-tenured, strong, financial director — the now-retired Paul Pasterczyk. She said many towns rely on the town manager to take on responsibilities and roles that Longmeadow has given to various departments that can play to their strengths while working together.
Simmons said the local government’s success is largely due to the collaboration that exists between the departments, which she said most towns do not have. “When you start seeing how your piece of the puzzle fits in, it naturally leads to collaboration,” Simmons said. She has also been able to hire on department heads in a climate that has allowed her to “think outside the box.” She said, “I am not afraid to hire someone who is not tenured in that position somewhere else.” While that means she may have to be more “hands-on” in guidance at first, it also attracts people with fresh ideas and ways of getting tasks accomplished.
Looking forward, Simmons said she sees a few projects that she would like to address, one of which is the plethora of town-owned buildings without enough resources to maintain them. She said an “important conversation” will have to happen regarding how many buildings the town can “realistically” own and a “significant investment” in the DPW. A request has gone out to consulting firms to recommend the best reuse of the three of those buildings: Town Hall, the Community House and “old town hall,” at 417 Longmeadow St. The study will also render insight into needed structure and staffing of the DPW’s building maintenance teams.
Simmons also sees challenges with continuing an open Town Meeting form of government. “As we look to be more efficient [and] responsive, we have to be poised to act quickly. Things move really fast now,” she said. “Grant opportunities come up and you’ve got a couple of weeks to respond.” Emergencies are also an area that Simmons believes the town needs to be able to handle nimbly. “It’s not just snow anymore, it’s water, it’s fire, it’s wind,” she said.
Simmons acknowledged that the town’s form of government was ultimately not her decision to make. “If people want to keep open Town Meeting, I want to make it the best it can be,” she said.
One way to do that is to get information to voters. Simmons oversaw the rollout of an app that makes it easier to access town information online and through mobile devices. She also emails a monthly newsletter to every person who subscribes to the website and said people who have not subscribed can opt-in. She said it has cut down on misinformation and rumors because the information is coming from the source.
“Keep an open mind and trust the process,” Simmons said. “If you have a question, reach out. We’ll find you answers.”
