Sean Curran – Washington's New Town Administrator

In a first for Washington, we now have a Town Administrator to help us run Washington. The search committee, made up of residents of Washington and Middlefield, hired Sean Curran, who started this summer working half time for each town.

The Select Board, led by Kent Lew, sees this as a critical step to establish stable and sustainable governance. By separating the practical administration of the town from the duties of elected officials, projects, records and other essential operations will be handled by someone with the skills and training to do it. “That allows the elected officials on the Select Board to play the very important role of representing the community, to make sure the activities are in the betterment of the community goals. Anyone with a commitment and interest in the town can run for the Select Board, to participate in those decisions and not be burdened with the work that comes out of them.”I spoke with Curran about the background he brings to his new job and the goals he hopes to help Washington achieve.

Sean Curran describes his upbringing as working class. “My folks came here from Ireland,” he says. “They never graduated from high school and they instilled in all of us that education was the way to get ahead in the US.” He left Springfield to study political science at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire, then went on to study law at Suffolk University Law School in Boston. He would study in the law library and look out the window at the Massachusetts State House. “The golden dome on Beacon Hill was right across from the library,” he recalls. “That seemed to be where all the action was.”

When he returned home to Springfield, there was an opening for the state legislature so he threw his hat in the ring. “I represented the residents of Springfield there for ten years, and it set me up for a career in the public sector. After I left the legislature, I started my own practice—real estate law was my bread and butter for many years.” When Tony Gulluni was elected district attorney of Hampden County, Curran joined his staff full time, working there for three years starting in 2016. Now he serves on the Springfield City Council.

While Washington is an hour from home, he was interested in the Town Administrator role as an opportunity to gain executive experience in government—having served in the legislative branch for most of his career. “I take Route 20 every morning. It may not be the smartest way—there are some 35 mph areas—but it’s a beautiful drive into Berkshire County.”

Curran juggles his administrative duties at Washington and Middlefield, working half-time for each town. “I find the positions are complementary,” he says. “There are the same challenges in Washington and Middlefield. Both have old school houses for the town hall, and both deal with limited funding from the state. Smaller towns are dependent on state aid, and they don’t get a lot. You need a strong voice on the executive level to fund through grants.

“Springfield would have three or four people writing grants,” he says, while in Washington, it had been up to members of the Select Board and some part timers working for the town. As Kent Lew points out, even if we can write the grant, that’s only half the battle; we need someone to manage the programs if the money comes through.

Curran has been impressed by the people he’s met during his first few months here in Washington. “I’ve worked at City Hall [in Springfield], at the State House [in Boston], in the courthouse…and I don’t think I’ve come across a bunch of more civic minded individuals. Everyone I meet in town is really pro-Washington, with the concern of how to move this town toward progress. It energizes you; it recharges your batteries to see such civic-minded individuals.”

He is also optimistic about Governor Maura Healey’s commitment to Western Massachusetts. “The administration has really elevated the focus on rural communities, and appointed Anne Gobi, as director for rural communities. Hopefully, my role as town administrator will give Washington a stronger voice.”

In addition to writing grants, looking for funding outside of the state’s allocations—and implementing what funding he can bring into Washington—his role also involves work on the annual budget. He will be working with the town’s Finance Committee, setting parameters for the budget, bringing it to the committee for their recommendations, then presenting it to the Select Board.

Curran is working to tap into the state’s Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Grant Program—developing a plan, which then may qualify the town to apply for a grant. Part of that plan is to make capital improvements at Town Hall for an emergency heating and cooling center at the Town Hall. The goal is to help protect residents during a disaster.

He’s also been focused on resolving the recurrent flooding on Upper Valley Road. In fact, when we spoke, Curran was on his way for a site visit with CSX. As he explained the problem that has been dogging residents in the neighborhood, “CSX has two culvert pipes running under the railroad tracks. They are more than 100 years old, and we rely on them to drain the swamp along Upper Valley Road into Muddy Pond, which empties into the Housatonic.” He was on his way to meet with CSX to see if their crew could open the blocked culverts with waterjets, rather than pumping out millions of gallons of water from the swamp into Muddy Pond. He has been calling state officials and administrators for rail and transit, working to put Washington’s flooding at the top of their agenda.

“We are advocating for full culvert replacement,” Curran explains, “making our voice known, that Washington deserves a corporate partner that takes care of its property. Culvert maintenance is part of that.”

Curran sees a central part of his new job as serving as the point person between department heads. He has set his personal goal to bring as much money to the town through grants, focusing on capital improvements—to the roads, the town park, Town Hall… He is at Town Hall about four hours a day, and hopes to make the place a resource for residents with any questions on taxes, road issues or services related to town government. You can find him there on Mondays from 5 pm to 9 pm, as well as on Wednesdays and Fridays from noon to 4 pm.

Washington has provided a town issued cellphone for Sean; text or call him at 1-413-440-9747. You can also contact Sean by email, at washingtontownadm@gmail.com. Reach out to share your concerns, opportunities you see for the town, or just to share your love of Washington.