Nutting and Brd. of Selectmen look to the future
Published on June 10th, 1998
STONEHAM, MA - What's the best way to manage a $40 million business with 22,000 customers and 200 employees?
If you're Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting, and that business is the Town of Stoneham, you do it under the dedicated leadership and direction of the Board of Selectmen, which he credits for having the vision to continually strive toward improving the quality of life for the residents of Stoneham.
For his five years of serving as town administrator thus far, Nutting has already earned the distinction of being the longest serving town administrator in Stoneham's history.
Raised in Medway and educated at Northeastern University, Nutting was appointed Stoneham's town administrator in July of 1993. Along the way, he racked up experience in the public sector through membership in a number of committees in his hometown, including the School Committee and Finance Committee, as well as serving on Medway's Board of Selectmen.
His professional experience also includes working as a consultant for a number of municipalities as well as various interim management positions before coming to Stoneham. As an interim town manager, his experience included two previous stints in Stoneham; once in 1988-1989, and again in December of 1992 up until his designation as Stoneham's full-time town administrator.
This background gave Nutting a head start in his knowledge of managing the town upon his official appointment. But a look back to the early 1990's proved that the town "was a lot different the second time around," as it faced what he called "a huge financial mess."
He listed the resolution of the fiscal crisis, which included a budget deficit of approximately $2 million, along with a $400,000 free cash shortage, as among the biggest challenges he has faced in Stoneham. Nutting is quick to credit the selectmen for having "never lost sight of the big picture," and he considers this focus on the future as a unique quality which has differentiated Stoneham from other towns.
"I have been very fortunate to have worked with all the Selectmen (who have served) during my tenure here," stated Nutting. "The list of accomplishments due to their leadership is endless."
That impressive list, Nutting suggests, is part of what makes Stoneham a desirable place to live and is comprised of various undertakings to which the town has made commitments in the recent past, at present, as well as in the not-too-distant future.
Nutting enumerates those newly completed projects, accomplished in part, he states, through the direction and steadfast support of the Selectmen, as the renovation of the Senior Center, repairs to the public library, a sidewalk restoration program, renovation of park facilities, facade improvements in the downtown area, implementation of the Stoneham Pride project, development of an outdoor basketball court, creation of a summer concert series and institution of a curbside recycling program.
Projects currently underway include a $40 million elementary school rebuilding project, construction of a town common and parking area, renovation of the police station, and development of a bike path, all of which have also benefitted from a dedicated Board of Selectmen whose support is making the realization of these projects possible.
In the future, he said, some of the endeavors that the town has to look forward to include the state sponsored upgrading of Southern Main and Franklin Streets, as well as the development, by the Metropolitan District Commission, of a recreational area which will take advantage of Stoneham's greatest natural resource, Spot Pond.
Added to other offerings, such as a hospital, zoo, ice arena and two golf courses, as well as being "blessed with a wonderful location," amounts to what Nutting describes as a community "trying to improve itself and its quality of life."
Nutting is quick to deflect credit onto the board for its "vision" for the town.
"The selectmen set out to do that (improve the quality of life) five years ago....The list of accomplishments under them has been phenomenal," stated Nutting.
While the town's financial position, as well as the economy, itself, has improved greatly since those early days, Stoneham continues to struggle, according to Nutting, primarily due to increasing demands for service as well as to growing education reform requirements by the state. Prioritization of all demands, he states, is essential.
Stoneham has been fortunate, however, according to Nutting, with the ability to fund many of the improvements with cash.
"With the exception of the school project, we really haven't increased our indebtedness," he stated.
Many challenges remain for the town; the biggest of which, suggests Nutting, along with balancing the budget, is controlling the water and sewer rates, currently among the highest in the state.
In addition, Nutting summarized his daily challenge as that of "trying to meet the demands of the taxpayers, elected officials and employees," as he continues his pursuit of "implementing the policies as adopted by the Board of Selectmen."
Inevitably, he acknowledges that "conflict is inherent in my position."
Looking back at the past five years, Nutting "sees a world of difference from where we were and where we are now," as the town's leaders have strived to "resolve the financial problems (of the past) with keeping an eye to the future."
To an outsider, Nutting suggests that the message from within the town is clearly that "Stoneham cares about itself. In a very short period of time, a lot has been accomplished."
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