Greenfield Town Administrator Aaron Patt will leave his position in the end of May to start a new position in Vermont, according to the Greenfield Select Board.
“We are very happy for Aaron, and we are sad to see him go. He has been a wonderful thing for Greenfield, and we’re going to miss him, ” said Select Board Chair Tom Bascom.
According to the Brattleboro Reformer, Patt has been hired as the new municipal manager for Rockingham and Bellows Falls, Vt., and will start May 26.
Patt, who has been Greenfield Town Administrator since 2011, was the town’s first professional administrator.
“Aaron brought a level of structure and professionalism to town offices that has been really been a positive thing for the town. He has been instrumental in making Greenfield into a well-oiled machine, operating in a way that is professional, smooth, and effective,” Bascom said.
Bascom said Patt leaves a strong team in place.
“We have a great set of people in all of our town departments, and they all enjoy working here. Aaron has been a big part of establishing the culture in our town, creating the personnel policies, and making sure we have the people we need in the positions where we need them,” Bascom said.
Bascom added that with Greenfield being “such a tiny town” of just 1,700 people, “we were only going to be able to hang on to him for so long.”
In his 15 years, Patt presided over the town’s broadband bond and town-wide installation, was instrumental in securing a CDFA Community Center Program Grant for renovations to the Greenfield Meetinghouse, led the town through emergency protocols in the COVID pandemic, and oversaw the renovations on the new police station.
Katherine Heck, who was Greenfield’s Town Treasurer for 17 years, said Patt ’s work will have a lasting positive impact on the Town of Greenfield.
“As Greenfield’s former town treasurer, I had the privilege of working alongside Aaron Patt for over a decade. His leadership on the broadband bond, the Meeting House project, and his collaboration with boards and department heads across town leaves a lasting mark on our community. I’m personally grateful for his support of my role as treasurer. We wish Aaron all the best in his next chapter in Vermont — he will be missed,” Heck said.
Bascom said that Town Office Manager Wendy Drouin will be filling in as interim Town Administrator while the Select Board assesses their options.
“Wendy has deep experience and background in many town departments and in all kinds of different positions, and she will be covering in the interim,” Bascom said.