NORTHBOROUGH – It’s been about a month since Stephanie Bacon returned to Town Hall to serve as the town administrator.
The Community Advocate sat down with Bacon after her first week.
“I feel like I never left,” she said.
Bacon graduated from Westfield State University with a bachelor’s in environmental regional planning. After graduation, she worked for an engineering company, and later started her own company with someone she had worked with.
“I loved engineering. It was fabulous,” Bacon said.
At the same time, someone asked if she would be interested in working part-time for Barre as the health director. Bacon, who was a registered sanitarian, ended up working in the town for about six years.
“I just loved it. I loved every part of it because it was so diverse from food inspections to working with the public to working with all of the other different departments, doing their septic and all of their inspections,” Bacon said.
As a result, she began volunteering in her town of Rutland and was elected to the Planning Board, By-law Subcommittee and Conservation Commission. When she was elected to the Board of Selectmen in 2015, Bacon was working as the health director in Northborough.
“Once I became a selectman — that’s it,” she recalled. “I loved this side of business management, and it pushed me to pursue my master’s in public administration.”
After owning her own business, that “business sense” is always in her mind, and she said a selectman basically runs a business.
As Northborough’s health director, Bacon said she was saturated in the community and worked with all of the businesses and business owners to ensure their success. Making relationships across the Northborough community, Bacon also worked with the churches, organizations like the Northborough Food Pantry and residents.
“I really was submerged in Northborough, which made me feel so much more comfortable about taking a position here as town administrator because it’s a high-level position and you need that comfortability,” she said.
She earned her master’s in 2018. A position to serve as the assistant town manager in Holden opened, and Bacon joined the town that same year in 2018.
“I didn’t want to leave Northborough, but I knew what I wanted to do,” Bacon said.
She worked in Holden for seven years. In a full-circle moment, the town administrator position opened following the resignation of Tim McInerney. Bacon jumped at the opportunity.
“I already knew the community was robust, and the staff was amazing. Everything fell into place. I feel like I’m home again, and I just want to do the best job I can possibly do and make great relationships,” she said.
Over the next couple of months, Bacon wants to make sure that everything is streamlined and the staff is secure with the knowledge that she will be part of Northborough for the long-term. Externally, Bacon said she hopes to work with businesses to bring additional businesses to town, revitalizing downtown and working on the newly-approved fire station project. With projects either approved or under discussion for the fire station, Peaslee Elementary School and Town Hall, Bacon said the town needs to make sure that, financially-speaking, the projects are scheduled appropriately so that it does not adversely impact taxes. One other topic at the top of the list is affordable housing.
In terms of other projects that Bacon is looking forward to, she said she’s excited to dive into everything.
“There’s such potential in this town because of where we’re located,” she said.
