Interim Town Manager James Moynihan brings experience to Longmeadow

Aug. 14, 2019 | Debbie Gardner
debbieg@thereminder.com

LONGMEADOW – Interim Town Manager James Moynihan was no stranger to Western Massachusetts when he applied for the position. A graduate of Classical High School, the Springfield native holds both a BA and a Masters degree in business administration from Western New England University, as well as a Masters in public administration from the University of Pittsburg.  

But birthplace and schooling aren’t his only connections to the area. Moynihan began his career in municipal government in his hometown, serving as grant manager for the city of Springfield from 1981 to 83, followed by a stint as the executive secretary to the Wilbraham Board of Selectmen from 1983 to 87 before he moved on to other municipal work in the Valley. In 1995 he moved east to become the first town administrator for North Attleboro, serving in that capacity, and then as general manager of the town’s municipal electric company, until his retirement last October.

“I’ve had the opportunity to work in Springfield, which has a population of 150,000-200,000, and to work in very small towns in Franklin County as small as 400 people,” Moynihan told Reminder Publishing. “My experience is each [community] has its own unique set of circumstances and you have to recognize that and deal with it appropriately.”

Moynihan said the opportunity to once again “do some municipal work” was a key factor in his interest in the job. He accepted the position in Longmeadow because “I thought I might be able to help the Board of Selectmen and the municipal offices and the citizenry through the transition from one town manager to another.” Moynihan replaced outgoing Town Manager Stephen Crane, in mid July and expects to be on the job through October. Crane accepted a position in Concord that began in August.

Moynihan said that though North Attleboro had a population of 30,000, and Longmeadow’s is only around 16,000, he saw correlations between the work he’d done in the Eastern Mass community and that presented by this suburban community, especially in the “areas such as budgeting, capital planning and in regards to project management and organizational development.

“I think there are a lot of similarities,” he added. “I think that the breadth of professional experience I’ve had working in both municipal government and utilities and construction projects has allowed me, gives me a professional background I expect will allow me to provide some useful input and management” for a town that currently has “a myriad of different projects and challenges.” Among those projects, he noted, are the construction of a new $12.7 million DPW building at 170 Dwight Rd. and the new $14 million Adult Center to be constructed at Greenwood Park.

Though he was well prepared to assume his new role, Moynihan said at the two-week mark he was still adjusting to his new position.

“I think its still a case of me kind-of settling in, working a little bit, getting a better familiarity with the community [and] establishing a good working relationship with the Select Board, municipal personnel and the citizenry,” he said. “Right now that includes the day-to-day management of the municipal operations and specifically, I’m getting involved with projects like the construction projects, right away that is the initial focus.”

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