|Julie Fralich & Debra Smith|
We recently interviewed Brenda Fox-Howard via Zoom. The following is a summary of that interview, edited for length.
Tell us about your background and experience.
Brenda Fox-Howard shared her varied background in finance, town government and the private sector. Prior to assuming her current position, Fox-Howard was the director of finance in the towns of Peterborough, New Hampshire; Putnam, Connecticut and Winchester, Connecticut. She also has had experience in state government, working in Vermont for the state police and as a finance manager in the Department of Social Services. Her experience extends into the private sector as well, where she worked for companies such as Pfizer and the Millstone Nuclear Power Station in Waterford.
In these many positions and roles, (including as a cook out of high school at Howard Johnson), Fox-Howard described her approach to her work as “always doing the best job you can” and valuing each job as equally important as another.
Although this is her first job as a town manager, she frequently worked closely with the respective town managers and department heads in her prior positions to prepare budgets and make presentations and feels this experience will serve her well in the town manager position. A life-long learner, she does professional development through ICMA (International City/County Management Association).
How would you describe your management style?
“Teamwork, teamwork, teamwork.” This is Fox-Howard’s mantra as she gets to know the staff and works with the select board and members of the various town committees. “I’ve been trying to make sure everybody understands this since I’ve come on board. It’s my big speech. We have to come together and communicate.” She also believes in providing positive, rather than negative feedback, when people are doing a good job.
Fox-Howard noted that teamwork was certainly needed and in evidence during the most recent special election and vote on the town warrant where “all hands were on deck” to help set up, manage, and take down the voting booths and count votes. She was quick to praise all the town staff who came together and worked many long hours before and after the vote to make sure everything worked as smoothly as possible. She also recruited help from the Gray town manager, who brought some of their staff to help with the ballot count.
She also believes in the importance of communication and has an open-door policy. “My email is available; my door is open, I’m here for the town. I don’t have any preset agenda.”
What attracted you to the position in New Gloucester?
Fox-Howard sought the town manager position as a chance to work more closely as part of a team of people, working on broader town projects, rather than just “crunching numbers” in a back room. She described herself as a “people person” and had enjoyed the opportunities she had in previous positions to work closely with the town manager and others on major initiatives within those towns. “I like being part of the process, not just looking at what it’s going to cost.”
And New Gloucester is very much like the town where she grew up in Connecticut. Her home town was a small rural town with open farmlands and a country lifestyle. Casinos ultimately moved into town and this drastically changed the rural character and economy of the town – not all to the good. Thus, Fox-Howard knows the impact and unintended consequences of poor planning and the need for an economic development plan that fits with the goals and values of the community.
You arrived at a very challenging time. How did you approach getting the lay of the land and figuring out where to start?
Fox-Howard reflected that she arrived in town during a “firestorm” where she had to figure out which fire to put out first. With her background in finance and budgeting, her instinct was to focus on those areas first. During those first weeks, the town hall and library were closed, meetings were held via Zoom, and staff positions were being cut as part of the budget process.
The normal town meeting process was in question and ultimately nixed in favor of ballot voting. Fox-Howard was very concerned about reducing/cutting staff positions and in quite short order reviewed the proposed budget and ultimately proposed the reinstatement of many of the positions, at least to part-time if not full-time status.
She commented on the small size of the town staff and the many different hats that the staff wear. Many are working 12-plus hours a day.
With the many issues facing the town, including operating and reopening during the pandemic, the maintenance of town buildings, the resurfacing of roads, managing the budget, and planning economic development, Fox-Howard says it’s like peeling an onion. With Stevens Brook, for example, as each layer is peeled back, she is beginning to see the many complexities of the project and is trying to do due diligence to explore all the options and what is most cost-effective for the town.
What do you see as the priorities for the next 6-12 months?
First, the two budget articles that failed have to come back to the voters so the town has a complete budget. Fox-Howard would like to bring together the board and the budget committee to streamline the process and be able to come to agreement in a more efficient manner. Infrastructure is another priority: the town hall and the library buildings are outdated and the recent emergency repair of the hole in the side of the library caused by dry rot requires an assessment of the safety of the building before it reopens. She has started the ball rolling to replace the deteriorating ramps at the town hall and community building. Road resurfacing and culverts also must be addressed, and the Stevens Brook project is being revisited; meanwhile, the bridge there will be weight-limited. Fox-Howard has also initiated a review of policies and procedures, starting with personnel and purchasing policies.
How will you communicate with the board and community? And with the state and other towns?
Fox-Howard is in constant contact with state legislators, state officials and other town managers. It will be essential, she said, to monitor what is happening with revenue over the next several months, and to plan accordingly. She will prepare a monthly management letter, including a financial update, for the select board and post it on the town website. “It’s important to communicate what we’re doing and why,” she notes, “and to build awareness.”
The comprehensive plan update committee has been working for three years on an update of the 1990 comp plan, and is about to invite public feedback on the draft plan. What do you see as the role of the comprehensive plan in guiding the town’s future?
Fox–Howard commented that it’s been a long time since New Gloucester looked at economic and community development, and it won’t happen overnight. “It takes staging, baby steps. The town has to decide what it wants and act on it.” Recalling experiences she has had in her hometown, and in other towns she has worked for, she notes that change is hard, but unavoidable. The town is changing, with many young families moving in, and needs a stronger economic base. She sees her job as supporting what the town’s people want.
What would you like people to know about you that would surprise them?
Fox-Howard has a passion for supporting elder care, and for dog rescue. She has always had rescue dogs, she notes. She and her husband of 26 years enjoy being outdoors, kayaking and walking, especially along the shore.
Anything else?
“I like to laugh, it’s much better than crying. I’m here for the town. Email me, talk to me, my door is always open.”
