Paula Carrier (Interim Town Administrator)

Paula Carrier Wears Many Hats to Help her Hometown

(Interim Town Administrator)

Paula Carrier has a lot on her plate these days. The 18-year veteran of Jericho’s Town Offices has just begun her second stint as Interim Town Administrator. Carrier was born and raised in Jericho. Her grandfather was the owner of the now-conserved Mobbs Farm, and she is thrilled that it has been preserved for future generations. She had been working for the American Lung Association when that organization decided to merge a number of regional offices, leaving her without a position. It was 2006 and Carrier thought she would take some time to figure out what she wanted to do next, but Town Clerk Jessica Alexander suggested that Carrier apply to be her assistant. The two had gone to school together and their horses were boarded at the same barn, so Carrier decided to give it a try and was hired in May of that year.

In 2008, Selectboard member Bob Penniman told Carrier that the town was looking for an Administrative Assistant. “I love to have a challenge,” Carrier said, “and it seemed like a job where I could continuously learn things.” Carrier stayed in that role until Tood Odit resigned from the Town Administrator position in April of 2021. She was appointed Interim Town Administrator and held that post until September when John Abbott was hired. Carrier served as Assistant Town Administrator while Abbott was at the helm but since his recent departure, she has again assumed the Interim title.

Carrier praises the town as a great place to work. “Even though there has been some turnover, the staff is a really good group of people to work with,” she said. “We all get along and we all work together as a team, and I really appreciate that. You learn a lot of things from different departments.” Although Carrier enjoyed her time as Assistant Town Clerk, she really enjoys the challenges presented in the Town Administrator’s Office. “Every day is something different,” she said. “There is always some new thing you didn’t realize, and you have to deal with it. It keeps me busy and keeps me going all day long.”

One of Carrier’s favorite parts of the job is talking to residents who come in with issues. She believes that talking with people can create a good relationship, put them at ease, and convince them that she is trying to help solve their problems. She enjoys seeing many of the same people she knew when she was growing up in town. “It’s good to see people who stayed here,” she said. “It’s nice to see familiar faces and to talk about the past and the present.” Carrier said that one of the strengths of the town is the number of residents who care about what goes on and are willing to serve on boards and committees “They make sure that we, as a town, are in the best place we can be,” she said. She would like to see the town be more transparent and do more to make people aware of some of the things that are going on so that perhaps even more residents can become active participants in their future.

In her spare time, Carrier loves riding horses and going on motorcycle rides with her significant other to see other parts of the state. “Mostly,” she said, “I love hanging out with friends, laughing and enjoying our time together.”

Carrier is happy to have picked up a number of new skills during her time in the Town Administrator’s office. “Writing grants was a huge one,” she said. “I didn’t know how to write grants and when Todd [Odit] left, I had to get some grants out for the highway department. It was huge to learn how to do that.” Carrier also noted that the legal status of a municipality is very different from for-profit or non-profit entities. “Municipal law is a beast of its own,” she said. “It has very different rules.” Carrier is proud of the fact that she has learned to put together the town budget. “That was a huge learning curve,” she said, “but I loved it because it helped me understand the monetary side of the town.”

When Carrier joined the town staff in 2006, she wasn’t sure she was going to be in it for the long haul but almost two decades later, she has a different view. “Back then I didn’t think this would be forever,” she said, “but it seems like that’s where it’s going.”