PHILLIPSTON – Peter Morin is bringing his many years of experience in municipal government to the role of interim chief administrative officer.

Morin was chosen Monday by Phillipston’s Selectboard to fill the office left vacant when former CAO Melanie Jackson tendered her resignation, effective Nov. 1.

“Really, the size of a community doesn’t matter,” he told the Athol Daily News. “It may be a smaller town, but the concerns of the residents are the same. Just because a town is small doesn’t mean it’s less important. The challenges are the same because your resources are more limited than in a larger community.

“Residents care about their kids’ education, their public safety, and their roads,” he continued, “so you try to make sure those needs are met. Yes, I have a lot of experience in larger communities, and I’ve got a lot of experience in government, so this will be a different challenge for me and I look forward to it.”

Morin described Phillipston as a beautiful town in a “wonderful setting.” Regarding some of the officials with whom he’ll be working, he characterized the Selectboard and Town Clerk Karin Foley as “really engaged, and they care about the community and residents.”

Asked about his priorities upon assuming the position, Morin said, “Making sure I can contribute in a positive way is going to be my goal. I see the job as providing support to the Selectboard and to addressing the concerns that residents may bring forward. If somebody needs information or assistance with a problem from Town Hall, I will be there to provide that. It’s basically to support the board and keep the daily operations of the town running.”

Morin said he watched a recording of last June’s Special Town Meeting, where voters trimmed $96,000 from the FY25 budget that had been recommended by the Selectboard and Finance Committee. The $2.6 million budget was approved following the defeat of a proposed $175,000 Proposition 2 ½ override at the May Town Election.

“Every municipality is facing the same stresses,” said Morin. “In my view, the major financial challenge that Phillipston faced last year was the assessment from the regional school system. That put the town in a tough situation. That’s not unique to Phillipston. Those pressures are present where I live, in Braintree, where I serve as a town councilor.”

Morin once served as town administrator in Norwell, which, although larger in population, faced challenges similar to those of Phillipston.

“Norwell has 11,000 people, which is larger, but the same situation – a very limited commercial/industrial base and primarily reliant on residential assessed values for tax revenue,” he said. “So, you have to watch the budget. I’m very aware of those challenges being felt. And I’ve seen the concerns of residents expressed that I’ve seen in various media.”

The incoming CAO said he has “always been tight with budgets. I’ve always left communities in better shape than I’ve found them. I doubled the financial reserves in Norwell. In Braintree, when I was chief of staff, we went from $1 million in free cash (in 2008) to $15 million when I left in 2015. So, I’ve always been very cost-conscious. It is essential that any city or town, regardless of its size, has to live within its means.”

Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.