City hall is witnessing a movement among city council members to establish residency as a requirement for the city manager position. This initiative has surfaced through both public and private conversations among councilors regarding the process of selecting Charter Review Committee members by lottery. While this policy shift is not intended as a criticism of the current city manager—whom some view as elitist and others wish to exclude from the Charter Review process—it signals the council’s desire for greater influence and control. The council appears to be asserting that a new era has begun, one in which it will exercise more authority through the Charter Review Committee.
A residency requirement for all full-time city employees warrants consideration. Lynn has implemented such a policy, dedicating considerable effort each month to ensure that only Lynn residents hold Lynn positions. Chubby Tiro, a retired longtime Chelsea school committeeman, regularly advocated for this principle at school committee hearings, often stating: “Chelsea jobs for Chelsea people.” During that era, Chelsea residents filled Chelsea jobs, though notably the superintendent of schools did not live in the city. The majority of teachers, firefighters, police officers, and city hall administrators also resided outside Chelsea. Decades have passed with little fundamental change—except for the city’s period of receivership and its social, moral, and economic collapse. Yet over the past 20 years, Chelsea has experienced a remarkable recovery, bringing significant transformations. Still, the reality persists that most city employees live outside town.
Should residency requirements apply to public employees? More fundamentally, if the city council is discussing making residency mandatory for the city manager, why should this apply only to that position and not to other city workers? It cannot be denied that through dedication, intelligence, determination, and creativity, Ash has substantially built modern Chelsea’s success despite not residing here. He dedicates more time to the city than to his own family, a pattern maintained for nearly a decade. He grew up here, attended high school here, and returned after college. This contrasts sharply with those advocating for residency requirements and random selection of Charter Review Committee members—their voices and positions on both matters are largely indistinguishable.
Ideally, the city manager should live in Chelsea. However, we do not inhabit an ideal world. Three miles away in Winthrop, the town manager performs effectively without residing there. Years ago, Winthrop residents’ demands that the town manager live in town were superseded by a more compelling principle: that Winthrop citizens should select the most qualified leader, regardless of residency or hometown origins. The same reasoning should apply to every city government position here. It is unfortunate that those proposing to select Charter Review members by lottery cannot be convinced to apply the same standard to the city manager position. If residency is their sole measure of qualification, that is precisely what they will obtain.