Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
At its Annual Meeting on Jan. 24, the MMA unveiled its MassTown Careers campaign, an initiative aimed at attracting a new generation of workers to careers in the state’s 351 cities and towns.
Facing a wave of retirements and a highly competitive job market, cities and towns confront a growing challenge in filling a diverse range of jobs, including in the areas of management, finance, information technology, public works and more.
MassTown Careers was conceived to raise awareness about the appeal of municipal jobs as a career choice for candidates of all ages. The heart of the campaign is video testimonials featuring Massachusetts municipal employees highlighting the wide range of available jobs and the many rewards of working for cities and towns.
“I’m passionate about doing work that is truly important to my community, my family, and myself,” says Carolyn Kosnoff, assistant town manager for finance in Lexington, one of the municipal employees interviewed for the project.
“Working in municipal government is great,” adds another interviewee, Rachel Glisper, the human resources director in Needham. “We have a competitive pay and you will feel amazing about giving back to your community.”
The campaign website – MassTownCareers.org – and a series of videos featuring 12 municipal employees were presented at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, where more than 1,300 local leaders from across the state gathered for the MMA Annual Meeting.
“We’re very excited to launch MassTownCareers.org today,” said MMA Executive Director Geoff Beckwith. “It will help show prospective new employees that working for a Massachusetts town or city means competitive pay, excellent benefits, job security, a great quality of life, and the ability to make a difference in the lives of people in the community.
“This is a vital new program for our members, who are facing a wave of retirements among older employees at a time when residents are expecting more and better services,” Beckwith added. “I think people will be surprised and excited to learn about the variety of quality municipal careers that can be found in towns and cities near where they already live.”
The MassTown Careers campaign is using social media to target young adults starting a career, as well as people of all ages looking to make career changes. All of the advertising and posts will link to MassTownCareers.org, a new MMA website that features descriptions of municipal jobs, current job listings, and video interviews with 12 municipal employees from across the Commonwealth.
The following are featured in the interviews:
• Michael Collins, public services and engineering commissioner, Beverly
• Justin Casanova-Davis, assistant town administrator, Brookline
• Rachel Glisper, human resources director, Needham
• Andrew Golas, town administrator, Barre
• Heather Harper, assistant town manager, Sandwich
• Julie Jacobson, town manager, Auburn
• Molly Kean, human resources director, Norwood
• Carolyn Kosnoff, assistant town manager for finance, Lexington
• Patrick Lawlor, administrative services director, Andover
• John Mangiaratti, town manager, Acton
• Brianna Sunryd, communications manager, Amherst
• Michael Taylor, personnel director, Pittsfield