WARWICK — Finding an opening as town coordinator was a moment when the stars aligned for Lizzie Alwan.
“It brought my love of the area, my love of the people in the area and the local government all together,” the new hire shared.
The Selectboard appointed Alwan to replace David Young as town coordinator in August. As Alwan familiarizes herself with the town, Young, who is retiring after holding the position for 20 years, is continuing to assist his successor.
Alwan grew up in eastern Massachusetts and now lives in Leverett. She most recently worked remotely on federal and government-related issues in Washington D.C. Meanwhile, she has also been serving as chair of Leverett’s Board of Health.
The town coordinator job allows her to work directly with residents and find solutions to local concerns, something she is passionate about.
“I’m very passionate about local government,” Alwan said. “It’s always sort of been in my heart this whole time.”
Stepping into a town as small as Warwick, with a population of less than 800, the position of town coordinator can mean handling more than one specific responsibility. The town coordinator works under the Selectboard, and implements the board’s policies while also serving as the central point of contact for residents. Young described the town coordinator as someone who helps direct residents and problems to the right people and sources.
“A good town coordinator should do more orchestration and directing, as a big part of the job is literally coordinating and knowing stuff,” Young said.
Before implementing any major changes, Alwan said she wants to understand the community that she has been hired to serve.
“I think that a mistake a lot of leaders make is kind of jumping in and making a whole host of changes before they’ve really gotten a chance to learn the town, build trust and know what they’re making changes to,” Alwan said, “so I really want to spend a solid amount of time doing just that and getting to know everyone and engrossing myself in the community.”
Whether it’s a small issue or a significant project, Alwan is ready to serve the town.
“I’m here if there’s a small pothole that needs to get coordinated with the right person, or something as large as a budget issue or a five-year capital plan, which is something I’m actually working on right now,” she noted.
The capital plan has been one of Young’s most important ongoing projects. Currently, Warwick simply replaces and acquires equipment as needs arise, whereas having a broader capital plan would allow the town to be more proactive about considering those decisions ahead of time, he said. With a capital plan, Warwick can better anticipate operational costs.
The goal, Alwan shared, is to make the town “proactive instead of reactive.”
As she works closely with the town’s Capital Planning Committee and Finance Committee, Alwan is bringing together the needs of different departments to create a clearer plan for Warwick’s future expenses.
Another major focus for Alwan and Young is Warwick’s older population.
According to Young, more than 80 older residents in Warwick live alone. With the town having fewer than 300 households, that means about 25% of households consist of solitary elders, so curbing isolation has become an important issue.
“There’s a huge problem with [elders] becoming less and less social, and there’s a lot of evidence that leads to decline,” Young explained.
Young expressed his continued commitment to the project.
“I’m definitely not just going to close the door and go fishing,” he said. “I’m still involved.”
Along with Young’s assistance and his dedication to the project, Alwan’s previous academic work has also given her experience with the subject. For her master’s thesis, she focused on access to social services for older adults in Franklin County, examining ways that communities can better support their elderly residents.
While promoting social interaction among elders, Alwan is also looking for ways to connect older residents with Warwick’s elementary school. One of the school’s first units focuses on weaving, and the older residents have been involved in teaching the students about weaving techniques and fiber crafts.
Another project, one Alwan is particularly interested in, entails preserving and digitizing the town’s records, many of which are still being stored physically in the basement of Town Hall. Alwan emphasized the importance of digitizing those records in a safe and secure place as the records both protect the town’s history and make its processes easier for residents and town departments.
Despite being new to the role, Alwan is surrounded by people who are willing to teach her. Alongside Young, the assistant town coordinator and other residents have been helping Alwan learn about areas such as municipal budgeting.
“I can’t really imagine a more welcoming place,” she said.