Chester Town Administrator Andrew Alward
Reminder Publishing submitted photo
CHESTER — Andrew Alward, 27, has started as the new town administrator for Chester, replacing former state senator and representative Donald Humason Jr., who served the town as administrator for the past three years.
Alward is from the town of Millville, a community with a population of 3,000 people on the Rhode Island border, where he was on the Board of Selectmen and on the Blackstone-Millville Regional Agreement Negotiation Committee. Professionally, he was a staff accountant for an area bank and has served in operations for other financial institutions.
Alward received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Framingham State, and a master’s in business administration with a concentration in accounting from Fitchburg State University.
Asked what brought him to Chester and the role of town administrator, Alward said he has always been interested in civic service. “Since I was a Boy Scout and became an Eagle Scout, I’ve always been interested in giving back to the community,” he said.
Alward said he has already relocated to the area, and is residing in Becket. He said he is excited to “hit the ground running.”
“The first things are to learn everything about the town that I can,” he said, including working with the finance team, the accountant, treasurer, collector and Finance Committee, one of his stronger aspects. “Every town has its own way of doing things. I’ll be making sure I’m facilitating communication.”
Alward said Humason took him on a tour around the town to get a handle on where everything is located. They visited the library, water treatment plant, fire station, including the outpost on Chester Hill. They also stopped at the Chester Railway Station Museum and the Chester Granite Works, which impressed him.
“I love it. The scenery and everything has captivated me. People are great in Town Hall, and there’s a good team effort that works well,” he said.
Alward will also soon have the opportunity to learn about the process for a special election, as one is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 8, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Town Hall auditorium to fill a seat on the Select Board, due to the departure of Selectman Andy Sutton.
Nomination papers are available in the Town Clerk’s office beginning on Thursday, Sept. 4 and must be obtained by the candidate. Papers are due back by Thursday, Sept. 25.
The last day to register to vote in the special election is Thursday, Oct. 9.
The Town Clerk office hours are Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Thursdays, 10 a.m. to noon. For more information, go to townofchester.net.
