Opinion ID: 608078
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Town

Text: 4 Nahant, Massachusetts, is a municipality of approximately 4,200 people, located north of Boston. Under the Town Charter, a three-member Board of Selectmen serves as the chief policymaking agency of the town. Selectmen serve staggered three-year terms; one seat on the Board is filled by election each year. 5 Among their other duties, the Selectmen are charged with appointing a Superintendent of Public Works (hereinafter Superintendent), whose duties are defined in the Town Charter: 6 He shall administer, under the supervision and direction of the Selectmen, a Department of Public Works and the highway, water, sewer, cemetery, tree warden and health departments. He shall also administer, under the supervision and direction of the Selectmen, such other departments under their supervision as the Selectmen may designate, except the fire and police. He shall be responsible for the administration of all departments within the scope of his duty, and shall hold office subject to the will of the Selectmen. He shall be specially fitted by education, training and experience to perform the duties of said office.... During his tenure, he shall hold no other elective or appointive office, nor shall be engaged in any other business or occupation.... and shall, subject to the approval of the Selectmen, appoint such assistants, agents and employees as the performance of the duties of the various departments under his supervision may require. 7 The job description for the position notes that it is performed with professional independence and considerable latitude for independent administrative judgment and that [e]rrors could result in major loss of time and expenses. It also notes that the Superintendent makes frequent contacts with other officials and the general public. Commensurate with these responsibilities, the Superintendent receives a salary of $41,286; by comparison, the Nahant Police Chief and Nahant Fire Chief each receive $41,365, and the Nahant Superintendent of Schools receives $48,000. Lower level salaries in the Department of Public Works [Department] range from $20,000-$24,000 for laborers to $31,000-35,000 for foremen.