The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) presented Chelsea City Manager Jay Ash with the Theodore Mann Regional Leadership Award at its Fall Meeting held in Boston. This recognition came to Ash in his recent receipt of the honor from the regional planning agency.
Serving 101 cities and towns throughout Greater Boston, MAPC annually bestows this award in honor of Newton’s longest-serving mayor, Theodore “Teddy” Mann. The award honors a municipal leader from Greater Boston whose commitment to regional collaboration best exemplifies Mann’s legacy.
On Wednesday, October 29, Richard Mann—Theodore’s son—presented the award and offered his assessment of Ash’s work. said Richard Mann, Theodore’s son, who presented the award on Wednesday, October 29. He praised Ash’s achievements in revitalizing the once-struggling city, from securing credit rating increases to improving the schools and public safety to attracting new business and luxury housing, increasing livability for residents in the process. According to Mann, “Like Teddy Mann, he has gladly and willingly shared the secrets of his success with others,” and further noted that “fblikebutton_button” “Jay’s accomplishments in the city of Chelsea are the stuff of legend, reaching well beyond the city’s boundaries. He is ahead of the curve, a visionary, a practitioner who gets things done.”
A Chelsea native and former MAPC president, Ash has served as City Manager since 2001, making him the city’s longest-serving CEO. His background includes roles as Planning Director and Chief of Staff to House Majority Leader Richard Voke of Chelsea. Beyond City Hall, Ash serves as Co-Founder and current Vice-Chairman of the Metro Mayors Coalition, maintains a board position with the public policy think tank MassINC, and is an elected trustee of Clark University, his alma mater.
In his acceptance remarks on Wednesday, Ash reflected on the award’s significance. “I take this award back to Chelsea, because it has always been about teamwork for us at City Hall. We can do so much more together than we can apart,” he explained, continuing that “The things we are doing here in this region were unthinkable 30 years ago, and I know that Theodore Mann would be proud of all we’ve achieved. I look forward to all the achievements the future is going to bring.”