Lexington's Town Office Building on a sunny day

The town Select Board unanimously decided to offer Steve Bartha, town manager of Danvers, the position of Lexington’s new town manager in a hybrid meeting last night. That appointment will be made official pending contract negotiations. 

The Board’s decision came after nearly an hour of deliberating the pros and cons of Bartha, 43, and the other two candidates who were up for the job — Margot Fleischman, former Select Board Member in Bedford, and Tony Mazzucco, General Manager of Norwood. 

While many of the members agreed that all the candidates had impressive qualities and would do well in the job, they ultimately decided that Bartha is the “best fit.” As town manager, Bartha will oversee the daily operations of Lexington, in accordance with the goals and policies set by the elected members of the Select Board. 

“This was a difficult decision because we were presented with outstanding candidates,” Joseph Pato, Select Board Member, told LexObserver. “Steve Bartha brings both a track record of skillful management and glowing references confirming that he walks the talk.”

Bartha, who is originally from Petoskey, MI, was appointed to serve as town manager of Danvers in 2014, according to the Salem News. In that role, Bartha led the town in hiring a new senior management team including new police and fire chiefs, building a new dispatch center at the police station, and overhauling the library’s heating, among other projects, according to the Salem News. Prior to that role, he served as assistant town manager in Avon, CT, from 2010 to 2014. 

Jill Hai, Select Board Vice Chair, said she likes Bartha because he is experienced and has knowledge of housing, sustainability, budgeting and leading a complex community, during last night’s meeting. She also said she appreciated that Bartha mentioned his diversity, equity, and inclusion goals for Lexington in his application for the position. 

Douglas Lucente, Select Board Chair, echoed Hai’s comments in agreement that Bartha is right for the job. 

“[Mr. Bartha] seemed to have the best mix of experience and ability to communicate effectively,” said Lucente during last night’s meeting. “So for me, he fits the criteria.”

While most of the Board seemed to unreservedly support Bartha’s appointment during the meeting, Suzanne Barry, Select Board Member, voiced concerns about Bartha’s capabilities because “he has never been through a debt exclusion [and] he has never been through an override.”

The town is scheduled to vote on a debt exclusion at the end of 2025 to fund the Lexington High School building project. A vote in favor of the debt exclusion would allow for a property tax increase above the amount usually allowed to help finance the new school.

A recording of the Select Board meeting can be found on LexMedia’s website.

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8 Comments

  1. Thank you select board members for going thru an elaborate process in selecting new town manager
    Wellcome Steve Bartha and hopefully with the help from wonderful existing staff town members and select board he moves Lexington upwards with great pride – an opportunity rarely comes in life time
    Lex250 celebrations is going to be the greatest show on earth so hopefully together we can make great history . Best wishes
    Dinesh Patel precinct 6 tm

  2. I am a Danvers resident and am sorry to see Steve leave us. I was also a person who worked in Lexington for a number of years. I wish you all great things

  3. The town of Lexington is about to lose a lot of residents because they are constantly refusing to be interested in constructing a public municipally owned Fiber Optic Broadband ISP Network similar to what the city of fort collins in colorado did on their local ballot measure from back in 2018 because the Internet connection Speeds provided by Comcast/Xfinity, Verizon, and RCN are way too slow and unusable in the town of Lexington, Massachusetts and i have autism. i’m advocating for Public municipally owned Fiber Optic broadband

  4. Pingback: A look back at 2024 in Lexington - The Lexington Observer
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