Overview:
Mia Francesconi, a 20-year-old, has been appointed as the new town coordinator for Heath. She will begin training in December and take over the role in January when the current coordinator retires. Francesconi has worked in municipal government for two years and has a strong background in community events. She is excited to work in Heath and plans to approach the role with an open-door policy and a focus on human interaction.
HEATH — At just 20 years old, Mia Francesconi may be the youngest town coordinator the town of Heath has ever seen.
The Selectboard voted unanimously on Wednesday to appoint Francesconi to the position overseeing the day-to-day operations of the town and assisting the Selectboard with long-term planning. She will begin training with outgoing Town Coordinator Hilma Sumner in early December. Sumner will retire in January.
“Mia caught our attention for a variety of reasons. … She’s got great community spirit and is incredibly knowledgeable,” Selectboard member Elissa Viarengo told board members after Francesconi’s interview earlier this month, adding that the new town coordinator was “checking off boxes I didn’t even know I had.”
The town had received interest from six applicants, and a screening committee interviewed five of them, Viarengo said. Francesconi, the committee’s top choice, had the most experience in municipal government, and was invited for a second interview with the Selectboard.
“By the time I left I was beyond impressed,” said Alice Wozniak, who served as a town employee representative on the interviewing committee.
Francesconi has been working as the executive assistant to the town administrator in her hometown of Cheshire for two years. In that role, she worked with the Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, Board of Health, Conservation Commission and other town departments, as well as with state offices and agencies such as the Department of Transportation and Department of Environmental Protection.
“In doing that I’ve gained some really valuable experience and knowledge in the day-to-day operations of a small town,” Francesconi said.
Previously, she worked as an EMT for Northern Berkshire EMS. She graduated from Hoosac Valley High School in 2023 and said she was pleased that she has ended up in a career in government.
“I’m very happy that I ended up in municipal government; I love it,” Francesconi said. “I don’t see myself being in another realm of work.”
She added that she’s been involved in municipal government her whole life, as her mother and grandmother both served on the Selectboard in Cheshire, and other family members served with the town’s Fire Department. She said she grew up listening to conversations about town government and has always been active in community events.
“I grew up around it and in it,” Francesconi said.
She added that from what she has learned about Heath, she thinks the town is one she would enjoy working in. She currently lives in the neighboring town of Colrain.
“Heath seems like a wonderful place, full of wonderful people,” Francesconi said. “I think this town has a great little vibe to it that reminds me of my hometown.”
Her first day in Heath will be Dec. 8 to begin training with Sumner, who has agreed to stay on as a consultant to assist Francesconi and the Selectboard as needed. The Selectboard had increased the town coordinator’s salary by 6% for fiscal year 2026 to accommodate paying Sumner during the transitional period and cover any additional training Francesconi may require.
During her interview with the Selectboard, Francesconi said that she does not have much experience with municipal finance, but she plans to take any applicable training she can find and ask experts on town finance plenty of questions.
She added that her approach to the role in Heath will be similar to her approach in Cheshire — having an open-door policy and talking with all the people who come to the town offices.
“I love people, I love talking, I love human interaction,” Francesconi said. “If you truly listen to somebody and what they have to say, you can learn so much.”
Selectboard members added that they would do what they can to support Francesconi through the transition.
“It’s not peaches and cream,” Selectboard Chair Robyn Provost-Carlson said of the town coordinator job. “But it’s really rewarding work.”
Selectboard members said that while they are excited to welcome Francesconi, it was bittersweet, as the town would be losing Sumner. They hope to convince Sumner to fill one of the vacant positions on one of the town’s boards and committees, and they hope she will find other ways to continue serving the town.
“I’m gonna start plowing the roads,” Sumner joked.
Francesconi was appointed to the role with a starting salary of $35.10 per hour.
“She may be the youngest town coordinator ever,” Viarengo said. “I think she’s extraordinary enough to pull it off.”
