‘Trial by fire with a ton of support’ for Rochester’s town administrator

ROCHESTER — Cam Durant got the bug for municipal government when he served a pair of terms on the Board of Public Works in Fairhaven. He loved hearing stories about what was going on, seeing the inner workings of the town.

He ran unsuccessfully for Fairhaven Select Board, then became the town’s human resources director. That was the position Durant, 35, held prior to beginning as Rochester’s town administrator this past September. He succeeded Glenn Cannon, who resigned in May to take the same role in Carver.

And as the calendar turns to 2025 and Durant approaches his fourth month on the job, a lot is going on in Rochester, he said.

That includes a Special Town Meeting in late January and then, the time of year when the town develops its fiscal budget, which is expected to be even tighter than last year’s, according to Durant.

As Durant hit the ground running as Rochester’s new town administrator in the lead up to the approaching busy municipal government season, it’s been a “trial by fire with a ton of support,” including from the Select Board — his bosses — and town staff, Durant said.

“The residents are my bosses’ boss, so I take it very important to try to solve as many problems and get to know as many people as possible and to be out and about in the community, and so it's been really enjoyable,” Durant said.

In forming the budget next year, Durant said there will be challenges, but the town is in a “good place to get through that.” Rochester’s financial structure “has been done really well” as the town has been conservative with revenues and expenditures, according to Durant.

And by state law, a balanced budget must be presented and passed at Town Meeting. Durant said there will be “a lot of open and transparent conversations” between himself and municipal staff, in addition to public conversations at Select Board and Finance Committee meetings about “wants versus needs.”

“This town has been so good at managing its money, but at the same time, you also have to balance the changing world and the need to modernize,” Durant said.

For example, multiple large capital projects for Rochester are incoming, like a new fire station. Costs for site work for that project will in fact be up for vote at the Jan. 27 Special Town Meeting. But there are also likely to be costs for capital projects associated with schools like Old Rochester and Old Colony.

“There's going to be a lot of questions in front of the town residents at Town Meeting in the future about how they want to see their town grow and what's needed for that,” Durant said.

One goal of Durant’s as town administrator is staff building and team morale, he said. It’s a goal that’s connected to the budget process.

“I've been welcomed, and it's just continuing to build that trust and rapport, and I think getting through that budget process, that's the battle that's going to test that, so I'm excited to support them in that and help them make sure that what their needs are are met through this tight budget,” Durant said.

Another goal for Durant is working on communication with Rochester residents. The town has started posting the informational packets members of the Select Board receive for meetings so that residents can see what the Select Board sees. The town Facebook page was resurrected. Potentially in store for the future are live streams of Select Board meetings and an overhaul of Rochester’s website, according to Durant.

When Durant was on the Board of Public Works in Fairhaven, he was impressed by the operation and efficiency of the about 15-strong town highway department. Then he came to Rochester and saw the town’s smaller highway department led by Jeff Eldridge.

“It's incredible how frugal and innovative the town is with their limited budget,” Durant said.

Eldridge and Fire Chief Scott Weigel took Durant on a three-hour tour of Rochester, and it was “incredible” and “eye-opening,” Durant said, getting the perspective of locals — stories, history, etc.

“I've been really fortunate,” he said. “Everyone's been very nice and generous and warm.”