The Town of Franklin is pleased to announce that our Town Administrator, Jamie Hellen, has been voted by his colleagues throughout Massachusetts as the 2025 President of the Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) Board of Directors. The MMA Board of Directors are made up of municipal leaders, including Town Managers, Mayors, City Councillors, Select Board and Finance Committee members from throughout Massachusetts.
“I am deeply honored that my colleagues throughout Massachusetts chose and voted to have me serve as MMA President this year”, said Town Administrator Jamie Hellen. “Make no mistake, this appointment is less about me personally, but more so recognizes the deep respect that municipal officials across the entire state have for the Town of Franklin. This is a reflection of the creativity, innovation and leadership every single member of our town and school staff have across Massachusetts. This is a team win; the entire town and school staff and Franklin Town Council should be exceptionally proud of their continuous work to distinguish Franklin.”
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| Franklin Town Administrator Jamie Hellen (left) will serve as president of the MMA and Amesbury Mayor Kassandra Gove (right) will serve as vice president. (MMA Photo) |
Mr. Hellen was appointed at a Board of Directors meeting last weekend at the Connect 351 annual conference of municipal leaders in Boston. Over a dozen officials from Franklin attended the conference, including Massachusett Municipal Councillors Association (MMCA) member and Franklin Town Councillor, Melanie Hamblen.
“I am really proud that Franklin has a leadership role in the MMA and a seat at the table with respect to state policy impacting local government” said Town Councilor, Melanie Hamblen, who serves as a member of the MMCA and on many committees, including the Nominating Selection Committee for City Councillors to the MMA Board of Directors. “It is clear many communities across Massachusetts view Franklin as a role model given the leadership the Town has demonstrated over the years. Few people have as much passion, dedication and commitment to public service as Jamie. I am personally very happy for him and our community to be recognized in this way.”
As President of MMA, Mr. Hellen will serve a one year term through next year's annual conference in 2026. The main responsibility of the President is to Chair the monthly Board of
Directors meetings, as well as facilitating the Local Government Advisory Council (LGAC) with Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll. Each LGAC meeting features top state officials, such as state cabinet secretaries to collaborate on policy decisions at the state level that affect cities and towns.
Mr. Hellen will serve as the 49th President in MMA history. Many longtime residents may also recall that Mr. Hellen’s predecessor, Jeff Nutting, also served as the 33rd MMA President in 2009. The President role rotates between Municipal Mayors, Managers, City Councillors and Select Board members annually. Mr. Hellen will serve as the 15th Town Manager/Administrator in history.
A list of Past MMA Presidents is here: https://www.mma.org/about-mma/leadership/mma-past-presidents/
“I’ve been fortunate to serve this community for over four decades on both the Town Council, School Committee and many other town boards. It is never lost on me how fortunate this town has been with respect to leadership and management in our town administration, department heads and school administration” said Tom Mercer, Chair of the Franklin Town Council. “Jamie stepped in for Jeff right away, even before Day 1, and this recognition shows how respected the Town of Franklin is across Massachusetts. The entire community should be really proud of the dedication and success we have had from both Jeff and Jamie over the past 25 years.”
The MMA announcement is here: https://www.mma.org/jamie-hellen-is-new-mma-president-kassandra-gove-is-vp/
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