Voters to Decide: Should the Treasurer/Collector be Appointed or Elected?

Holbrook's November 2025 Town Meeting voted to send the issue of changing the elected Treasurer/Collector position to an appointed position.

Voters in Holbrook will soon decide whether to make the treasurer/collector position appointed or keep it elected.

The question, which has been discussed for many years in Holbrook, will appear on the April 4 ballot. Town meeting members voted in November to put the issue before the voters.

A “yes” vote would make the position an appointed role by the Select Board. A “no” vote would keep the treasurer/collector in an elected role chosen by voters every three years. 

The ballot question comes at a time when elected treasurer/collector positions are becoming rarer in Massachusetts. According to the Division of Local Services, the number of appointed treasurer/collector positions increased from 248 in 2014 to 308 in 2023. 

Division of Local Services infographic showing the trends of the Treasurer/Collector position over the last ten years.

Proponents of making the treasurer/collector position an appointed role argue that the position is not as simple as it once was. They say the position now requires more professional knowledge and qualifications to manage the treasurer/collector department’s role in financial management and regulatory compliance.

Kevin Costa, vice chair of the Select Board, spoke in favor of making the position appointed during November’s special town meeting.

“...for more than 25 years, the state has consistently recommended that we make this change,” Costa said at the meeting. “Our town’s financial operations now require professional, day-to-day management that goes far beyond what we can guarantee through an election.”

Costa also said that, as currently structured, the position does not report to the town administrator and is not part of the Town’s management team, leaving the Select Board with little oversight of the treasurer/collector. 

“The Select Board cannot set standards, cannot enforce performance expectations, and cannot require professional qualifications. That leaves us exposed,” he said.

Current Treasurer/Collector Tiffany Sheehan, who is running for another three-year term, spoke against making the position appointed. She argued that having the position elected provides more accountability and keeps the role focused on the residents’ best interests.

“It is important to maintain direct citizen oversight and accountability in the Town’s financial decisionmaking,” she said at the meeting. “An appointed treasurer/collector concentrates power in the hands of a few individuals, leading to less accountability and more centralized control over financial decisions.”

Sheehan also said it is not guaranteed that the Town would receive better candidates if the position is appointed. She said the argument that better candidates would be found if the position were appointed is “not valid” and implies that voters aren't capable of making informed decisions.

“I think that we, as voters, are capable of making the decision that is right for us,” Sheehan said.