Mitch Ruscitti took the position in May 2023

By Theresa Knapp 

At its meeting on April 1, the Hopedale Select Board reviewed its performance evaluation of Town Administrator Mitchell Ruscitti who started his position in May of 2023. 

Ruscitti’s evaluation covered his first nine months in office and was completed in March. 

Scoring was based on 51 data points in the following 10 categories: Personal Characteristics, Professionalism, Board Support/Relations, Public Relations/Communications, Community Leadership, Organizational Leadership, Personnel Management, Financial Management, Town Operations & Infrastructure, Planning and Organization.

The rating scale was 5 (outstanding) to 1 (unsatisfactory). Ruscitti’s rating from Glenda Hazard was 4.3, Scott Savage was 4.0, and Bernie Stock was 3.5. 

Select Board Chair Glenda Hazard said, “I appreciate that your first year in Hopedale is not easy in that we have a lot of big and complicated issues going on.” She said she appreciated him “continuing us on the financial path that we had said we wanted to go and finding some creative ways to help us accomplish things that we didn’t know we could accomplish, like the firetruck.” 

Select Board member Bernie Stock said, “I’ve been more than pleased with Mitchell’s performance,” and said his rating of 3.5 would have been higher but they had not gone through a full budget cycle at the time of the evaluation. 

Stock said he has been impressed with Ruscitti’s communication, personnel hires, open-door policy, and ability to get things done such as the Bathhouse repairs and the BVT Summit.  

Stock said one of the things that makes the Town Administrator’s job difficult is “the lack of media support” which Ruscitti acknowledged has “been difficult.”  

Select Board member Scott Savage, who was elected to the board just days before Ruscitti was appointed in May 2023, said his first year on the board was likely made easier by Ruscitti’s own experience as a select board member in another community. 

Savage said, “Mitch came on at a pretty challenging point in Hopedale where there were a lot of things going on that are going to be significant to the future of Hopedale, and he’s trying to juggle them all at the same time and I think he’s done a great job of it.” Adding, “I think Hopedale’s in a much better spot today than they would have been if we had selected anybody else.” 

Ruscitti said, “I’m just very grateful, also obviously very grateful for my wife and two daughters who are very supportive.” And in a memo to the board, addressing the evaluation results, he said, “The past nine months serving as the Town Administrator for the Town of Hopedale has been a wonderful experience and honor; I appreciate the Board’s confidence in my ability and performance on the job.”

To read the full memo, visit www.hopedale-ma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif711/f/agendas/ta_review_packet_3-27-24_1final.pdf