After nearly 20-years running the town, Paul Cohen is stepping away as Chelmsford Town Manager.
Cohen’s departure date is slated for Memorial Day, May 25, to comply with the 60-day notification required under his contract.
“It also is a good transition time for the Town as two new Select Board Members will be elected in two weeks and I will be able to complete the work at the Spring Annual Town Meeting,” Cohen told InsideLowell when contacted Wednesday evening.
However, he also revealed he is not yet ready for retirement and has already landed another job, though he would not reveal specifics.
“I have secured a new employment opportunity that I expect to be able to reveal in about a week,” Cohen said. “At age 61, I am not ready to retire. An opportunity arose that I wanted to secure.”
Cohen had signed a four year contract in October of 2023 that was expected to keep him at the helm through June 30, 2027.
The longtime Town Manager replaced Bernie Lynch in November of 2006, after Lynch was appointed Lowell City Manager following a search process in which Cohen himself was a finalist for the Lowell job.
Despite periodic clashes with members of the select board and municipal unions, Cohen was generally lauded for sound fiscal management of the town, which last summer had its AAA Bond rating affirmed by Standard & Poor’s.
