Mitch Ruscitti brings experience, connections to new job as Hopedale administrator

HOPEDALE — When the town administrator job in Hopedale opened up late last year, Mitch Ruscitti knew he had to apply.

He had the municipal experience. And he had connections. After growing up in Milford, Ruscitti graduated from Hopedale Junior and Senior High School in 2005.

"I had a great experience here in town," Ruscitti said of Hopedale. "The two communities have really a synergistic connection. A lot of the families go back and forth, they know each other, a lot of families have family across the border in Milford. The two communities are steeped in each other's history."

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In June, Ruscitti was chosen by the Hopedale Select Board to become town administrator. He succeeded interim Town Administrator Jeff Nutting. Nutting, the retired Franklin administrator, came to Hopedale after former Town Administrator Diana Schindler resigned in late 2022.

"I can't describe enough to the town how appreciative I am to be here," Ruscitti said. "I treat this job very differently, I think, than I would if I was town administrator somewhere else."

He added that his background in the area helps him understand the town and its goals.

"There's an aesthetic beauty to the town that I think the people want to preserve," he said. "There really still is that small-town feel here that permeates the culture. Everyone looks out for each other."

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Ruscitti became town administrator just after Hopedale voters approved a $1.35 million override in the town's budget. That enabled the town to avoid closing the Bancroft Memorial Library and Hopedale Senior Center but raised property taxes on residents and businesses.

Ruscitti said he has plans for Hopedale's financial situation going forward.

"What I would like to do is bring the town up to compliance with best practices for financial management but also we have some projects that will allow for larger pools of free cash," Ruscitti said. The free cash — a term used to describe money that is left over at the end of a fiscal year — will allow the town the pay off debt and bonds, as well as invest in infrastructure and capital projects.

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Long term, Ruscitti wants to set high professional standards for his office and to invest in things people can touch and feel. He used the example of his plan to put a new fire truck on the warrant for Hopedale's fall Town Meeting. It would replace an existing vehicle that dates to 1993.

"The year that that fire engine that's going to show up at your house if there's an emergency was created (when) Hootie & the Blowfish had the No. 1 album in the United States," Ruscitti said.

Long history of civil service

After earning a master's degree from the University of Kentucky, Ruscitti worked in the Worcester City Manager's Office before returning to Kentucky to work for the governor. He then began working at Veterans Inc. in Worcester.

Following a three-year stint as a selectman in Rutland, Ruscitti began working as a community engagement manager in 2021 in Framingham until 2023. He also has his own municipal consulting firm, Tillrock Consulting.

Ruscitti also recently helped the Milford Parks Department secure a $1.3 million grant to support renovations at Milford Town Park.

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Jim Asam, Milford's parks director, considers himself fortunate to have worked with Ruscitti.

"It was a great knowing it was a six-month process that took six weeks because of his knowledge of grants," Asam said, of the Milford Town Park project. "It's nice to see stuff get done."

Asam added that Ruscitti also "had a big hand in" the Draper Park revitalization, working with the state to get matching grants.

"It was a tough time for the state, during COVID, but it moved smoothly," Asam said. "He will be missed. I had a good working relationship with him, and I wish him the best in Hopedale."

Ruscitti said he wants to replicate the Milford Town Park project in Hopedale, even if it's not from the same pot of money.

"Parks and playgrounds, that's a big thing for me," he said. "Those are projects people in the community can see and interact with. Nobody gets jazzed up about retaining walls or a new water tower or stormwater management, even though those are (also) very important things."

As for Ruscitti's own family, he has two young daughters and lives in Milford.

"Sundays are awesome," he said. "Every (Sunday) morning we get up, we go to Mass and my daughters — they're in a unique position — they love watching football with Daddy, so we make Sunday afternoons in the fall special."

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Hopedale's new town administrator looking to leverage past experience