Familiar Face Returning To Enfield As Town Manager

ENFIELD, CT — In 1971, an epic rock and roll classic by The Who entitled "Won't Get Fooled Again" ended with the lyrics, "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss." That will certainly be the case in Enfield early this summer, as a familiar face returns to town as the chief executive officer.

Matthew Coppler, who served as Enfield town manager for nine years from 2006 to 2015, will assume those responsibilities again, effective July 1. The vote to approve Coppler was taken at a special meeting of the town council Wednesday; he was approved in a party-line 6-4 vote, with six Republicans in favor and four Democrats against. Republican Bob Hendrickson was not present.

Coppler will replace the retiring Chris Bromson as town manager.

He originally took the job in July 2006, after having held a similar position in Batavia, N.Y. He worked in Enfield for nine years until departing in Sept. 2015 to take the post of city manager in Lincoln Park, Michigan.

In 2019, he shifted from Lincoln Park to the resort community of St. Clair Shores, Michigan, then moved south in Nov. 2023 to become city manager in Port Richey, Florida.

The Ohio native holds a master’s degree in public administration and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Bowling Green State University. His salary in Enfield will be $200,000, according to human resources director Steven Bielenda.

Mayor Ken Nelson said applications were received from six candidates from around the world, "even one from Egypt." Four were selected for interviews with the town council, and two finalists emerged from that quartet for a second interview.

Nelson told Patch the finalists were asked to make a presentation on potential future uses of the former Fermi High School facility on North Maple Street.

"Both had great ideas, but one wanted to bulldoze it and build a $100 million sports complex," Nelson said. "Matt served the town very well for nine-plus years."

Bob Cressotti, who with his three fellow Democrats voted against Coppler's appointment, told Patch, "I don't think bringing back Matt is the right decision for Enfield moving forward. [The Democratic councilors] were impressed with the other finalist. He is young, energetic, and has a great vision of economic development ideas."

In a phone interview with Patch Thursday morning from Florida, Coppler said he looks forward to returning to a town where good things happened during his prior tenure, and even more are on the horizon.

"Enfield never lost a place in my mind all these years," he said. "We put together a lot of good things in nine years. It's exciting to go back at a different time to see these things which have come to fruition, and new projects that are being put together made me want to come back."