'Long Overdue': Marlborough Mayor Wants City Communications Director

MARLBOROUGH, MA — Mayor Christian Dumais is asking city councilors to approve funding for a new position in his office to cover an area of city government Dumais needs "significant improvement."

Dumais wants to hire a communications and special projects director to oversee redesigning and updating the city website, generating digital media content and training city workers on communications best practices, among other duties. He also hopes to hire someone who speaks Portuguese.

At the moment, Marlborough is the largest community in the area without a communications person, the mayor told councilors in a memo. That has left the city with limited social media presence, an often out-of-date website and no consistent communications with city residents, Dumais said. Under former mayor Arthur Vigeant, items like press releases were handled by the mayor's executive assistant. Website updates were handled by the city's IT department.

"In today's digital age, providing communication at a 21st century standard is essential to the success of a modern organization. As a growing, robust city serving over 42,000 residents, it is imperative we implement communication tools and practices that provide services and information to our residents using different platforms. In order to accomplish that, we must have the proper staff to maintain them," Dumais said in a memo to councilors.

Dumais has proposed a salary of $79,000 for the position, which is in the middle for similar jobs in the area. Communities like Malden, Wakefield, Lawrence, New Bedford and Lexington have starting salaries above $90,000.

The city council on Monday voted to send the proposal to the council Finance Committee for further discussion before a final vote. Ward 2 Councilor David Doucette said the new position would bring Marlborough into the present day.

"I think the addition of this role in the city is actually bringing the office into 21st Century," he said. "It’s long overdue."