by Carlene Phillips ·
Friday, August 30, 2024
The office of Allyson Mitchell, the new assistant town administrator, is off the hallway by the back entrance of Town Hall. She said she appreciates the location: “I like to be found. It’s easier for people when I’m easy to find.” She likes looking out the window, seeing people coming to the building and into the hall, waving to people at their mail cubbies. Being physically in the middle of things seems to reflect Mitchell’s vision for her new job, which is, along with Town Administrator Dan Nason, to collaborate with all departments and committees and make sure things are working for the good of everyone in town.
Mitchell’s first two weeks have been spent meeting people and getting to know more about Harvard. She said she has been looking not for “holes,” but for places where she thinks, “Here’s where I can help.”
New town administrator Dan Nason and assistant town administrator Allyson Mitchell chat with Sheila Simollardes and Barbara Hilton (right) at a Woodstock party at the Council on Aging, Aug. 15. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
Mitchell grew up on Nantucket and lived there with her husband and three children until about a year ago. She managed a restaurant and was a parent representative on a school council; her husband was (and is) a firefighter. They decided they needed a change from the too busy summers and too slow winters of the island and were ready for new adventures in a new town. “Believe it or not, we’d had our fill of the beach and were excited for fields and cows.” They settled in Rutland, about a half-hour drive from Harvard, and Mitchell almost immediately got a job as head of human resources for the town.
The position was a new one for Rutland, and Mitchell built out the department, setting up compensation and benefits and initiating other employee services. The job was personnel-focused, but Mitchell said it was fun to listen to the town administrator talk about broader issues and projects. She knew she wanted to stay in municipal government, and she loved the HR job, but it afforded no room for growth. She said Rutland is just starting to come out of its “farm-town shell” and establish a broader identity, and it will be a while before they have a position like assistant town administrator.
She wanted more opportunities and challenges, and she said Harvard offers them. Being the human resources director for the schools will be new; Rutland has a regionalized system and her job didn’t involve school personnel. She said she has missed having a handle on schools. She’s met with Superintendent Linda Dwight and the school principals and is excited to work with them.
Another part of the job is procurement. Mitchell is taking classes to become a Massachusetts chief public purchasing official, which she will complete in early January, making her knowledgeable in procurement laws and in readying projects to go out to bid. She said she is looking forward to working with Nason on existing projects like the Devens water connection.
Mitchell describes herself as a “municipal junkie.” She loves talking to people and finding out what’s going well and what might not be working so well. Even if things are good, one can always ask, “What if we tried this?” Or, “Let’s take a moonshot.” She said she’ll ask questions, too many questions. “So I’m apologizing in advance,” she said with a smile.
Mitchell said both Nason and she know it can be a challenge to balance resources among town departments. But she said they are both collaborative, and “we’ll go the extra mile to find what works to make everyone happy.”