Kate Fitzpatrick, the first and only person to hold the title of Needham town manager, announced at the Oct. 22 Select Board meeting that she plans to end her tenure by the middle of next year.
“After almost 35 years with the town of Needham — 23 of them as your town manager — I’ve decided to seek out some new adventures,” she told the board during the Manager’s Report segment at the close of the meeting.
“Working for the town of Needham has been such an honor for me. I’ve worked with so many colleagues and volunteers for whom the work is not just work or volunteering. It’s really a calling.”
There was a slight pause after Fitzgpatrick’s announcement, broken by Select Board Chair Kevin Keane asking, “Would you reconsider?”
After the meeting, Fitzpatrick said she is neither fully retiring nor leaving for another full-time government position. And she is not severing her ties to local government.
“I’m going to stay in local government,” she said. “I’ll be doing a lot of training, coaching, writing – that kind of stuff. I have no idea specifically what, other than it will involve local government, because that’s my passion.”
Fitzpatrick said she will be working on a suggested schedule for selecting her successor, which will be discussed at the Select Board’s next meeting Nov. 12.
The town manager is hired by and reports to the Select Board, the town’s executive branch. Fitzpatrick anticipates the appointment of a committee and a screening process, potentially using a search firm, that produces three finalists who will be interviewed in public.
“I would imagine that they could have somebody appointed before Town Meeting (May 2025),” she said. She expects her official last day will be July 4.
Marianne Cooley is the current longest-tenured member of the Select Board and has had multiple stints as its chair, a role that requires working closely with the town manager.
“Needham has been Kate’s life work,” said Cooley. “We’ve been blessed to have her.”
Current Chair Keane was equally effusive. “Her understanding of local government is unparalleled, but she never makes it political,” he said. “It is always about keeping it professional without losing sight of the people.”
Fitzpatrick has worked in Needham since 1990, spending eight years as the town’s personnel director before becoming assistant town administrator in July 1998.
She has been the town’s chief executive officer since August 2001, when she succeeded Carl Valente as town administrator. Her title changed to town manager in 2005 due to a charter change.
Former Select Board member Dan Matthews was on the search committee that selected Fitzpatrick in 2001. “Kate had been recruited by Carl Valente to come to work in Needham and was in charge of personnel at the time that I joined the board in 1995,” he said.
“When Carl left, the board had a replacement process including a number of candidates, but Kate in my opinion was clearly the strongest. My recollection is that she was the unanimous choice of the board.”
Both Fitzpatrick and Cooley said the search for Fitzpatrick’s successor should draw strong candidates, as Needham is viewed as a desirable landing spot and the town is on solid footing.
As for salary expectations, Fitzpatrick’s current three-year contract expires May 5 and her annual salary tops out at $234,008 before performance bonuses.
“For me, I think the time to move on is when things are stable,” she said. “Then you’ll get good candidates.”
She said she’s invested in seeing Needham select a strong successor. “The last thing that anybody ever wants is for things to fall apart when they go. That’s like an indictment.”
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