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Date: 6/2/2022
WARREN – A need for assistance with day-to-day operations and efficiency of town government led to the creation of a town administrator position in Warren. James Ferrera, a Springfield resident, was recently hired to take on this first-time role.
Ferrera’s interest in municipal government began with his work for the Massachusetts Trial Court. He served as the court service coordinator for 17 years. “I enjoyed my time with the trial court,” he said.
Additionally, Ferrera served on the Springfield City Council and was elected twice as president.
Through these experiences, Ferrera said he learned the ins and outs of municipal government, including how the budget works.
When Ferrera learned that Warren was looking for a town administrator after the previous one had to step down, he believed he would be a good fit. Based on his interest and experiences, Ferrera decided to apply for the job. After landing the position, he began his new role on March 14. The position is a three-year contract.
Ferrera explained that the town administrator position has three main job functions. The first is to be a chief administrative officer of the town. This includes handling the day-to-day operations.
The second function is to be a chief human resource officer, which pertains to handling personnel matters.
The third function is to serve as chief financial officer. Ferrera said this includes preparing the budget, working with the Finance Committee on the budget, monitoring the budget throughout the fiscal year, creating warrant articles and so on.
At the time of his hiring, the town was in the middle of the budgeting process. “I jumped right in to listen to concerns and try to navigate [the] needs of departments,” said Ferrera. One of his main tasks was to have the omnibus budget approved at the Annual Town Meeting, to which it was. Ferrera said this was a “pretty exciting experience.”
Now, he is continuing to gain public ideas, look at goals and objectives for next year’s budget, and “budget with a purpose,” said Ferrera. He noted that he wants to have “some extra thought on where [we] want to take the town five or 10 years from now.”
Ferrera continued, “[It’s an] exciting time to be in Warren.”
He told Reminder Publishing that he is looking forward to helping the town move forward in the modern age. Ferrera noted that the town has good financial policies and hiring policies.
A possibility and goal he is hoping to achieve down the road is the creation of a new municipal/public safety complex.
Some challenges he expects to face along the way are with the budget. “Budget challenges are real with a lack of revenue sources,” he said. He added that smaller communities such as Warren, have to be “more creative,” when dealing with these types of issues.
Reflecting on his position over the past two months, Ferrera said, “I absolutely love [this] job and the community. It’s a beautiful community.”
He went on to describe Warren as a “tight knit community” with a little less than 5,000 residents, all of which care about the town.
Ferrera said the residents who work in town government are “experienced in that they want to move the town forward, in a labor of love.”
From day one, Ferrera said he made it clear that he has an open-door policy. This allows for residents to come in with any concerns, questions or simply to talk. He said people have taken advantage of this opportunity, which he believes has been helpful for residents.
Ferrera’s position is a 40-hour week, although he said he averages well over this time due to the amount of work.
His office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Ferrera’s office is in the Shepherd Municipal Building, 48 High St.
When he is not in his office, Ferrera can be found attending town meetings, such as the Board of Selectmen every Thursday, Finance Committee meetings and more.
Outside of work, Ferrera said he enjoys traveling with his wife and seeing other parts of the world. He also said he appreciates spending time with his family.