HopNews has learned through sources at Town Hall that Town Manager Norman Khumalo is leaving Hopkinton to take a job in the private sector.
Hopkinton created the Town Manager position after adopting a revised town charter in 2007.
Khumalo joined Hopkinton in June 2009, hired by the Select Board following the abrupt departure of Town Manager Tony Troiano. Troiano, who had been convicted of manslaughter stemming from an auto accident, resigned after a sexual harassment complaint from a Town Hall worker who said he had created a hostile work environment.
Assistant Town Manager Elaine Lazarus will serve as the acting town manager in the interim period.
HopNews reached Select Board Chair Muriel Kramer for comment. In a written statement, Ms. Kramer said:
“First and foremost, we wish Mr. Khumalo well in all of his future endeavors. It is always hard to see valued employees retire or leave for new opportunities, and he will certainly be missed. That said, he leaves us having securely positioned Hopkinton with durable and sustainable structures and processes firmly in place that we will use to continue to build for the future.
The Board will work with Mr. Khumalo to plan for his departure ensuring that Hopkinton continues to be managed with secure and consistent oversight.
Mr. Khumalo has served Hopkinton with dedication and unwavering professionalism, and I know I speak for the Board and the Town as a whole when I thank him for his years of exceptional service and wish him and his family blessings for their future.“
Through the town’s public relations firm, a statement was issued late this evening. It indicated that Khumalo would be joining Pattern Energy as Vice President of Government Relations and Growth. His departure date has not been finalized but is expected to be in early 2024.
Solect Energy, based in Hopkinton, is a Pattern Energy company, and has completed several projects for the town over the years.
“I am extraordinarily proud to have spent such a significant portion of my career in the wonderful Town of Hopkinton,” Khumalo said in the statement. “It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve such a vibrant, growing town. I am grateful to all the great civic leaders, board and commission members and volunteers. Together we have worked to make Hopkinton the community it is today.”
Quite a bit of exiting at town hall 🤔
The mass exodus continues. Smart move by Mr. Khumalo to get away from this board.
Bye Bye!
One must ask, so let it be me: Does Ms. Kramer have any clue about what is going on in this town? Town Hall is and has been a mismanaged mess.
Good riddance.
By the way, the next election can’t come soon enough.
Something tells me the Town Manager’s departure may slow down the exodus of town employees, if not stop it all together. That he is not being held to account for mishandling the complaint of alleged embezzlement by the previous director of Parks & Rec says a lot about what a mess the town is.
Also, I seem to recall Town Meeting voting against creating a position of Assistant Town Manager???
Wow!! Maybe this guy grew a conscience and finally saw the amount of damage he did to this town. Now we just have to get rid of BOS members who are… Actively paying to release rapists onto the streets of MA, and the rest minus MJL who have their heads so far up their you know what’s that they can’t see they are destroying this once wonderful town.
It’s time for all of them to take a hard look in the mirror and see if their little escapade has really gone the way they wanted…
I’m sure you’d be saying the same thing, “Actively paying to release rapists onto the streets of MA, and the rest minus MJL who have their heads so far up their you know what’s that they can’t see they are destroying this once wonderful town” , if Khumalo was a white male.
Why don’t you go and run along now. I know this might be a bit hard for you but reading comprehension is key.
1. Norman has nothing to do within releasing anyone via the MA Bail relief fund.
2. As I stated “Now we just have to get rid of BOS members who are. . .” BOS- Board of Selectmen. Norman is the Town manager and not a member of the BOS.
3. It is a very well known fact that one of our BOS members is or was the treasurer for the MA bail relief fund and paid to have a convicted rapist released from bail, and then weeks later raped another victim. She’s white BTW, I know that doesn’t play into the false narrative you’re trying to create.
I understand that because you have no real argument, is why you immediately go to the ad hominem (I know you’ll probably have to google what that means) attack of me. Yes my comments are hyperbolic but it’s to get people rallied together around the cause of trying to right this sinking ship.
Anyone hiding behind the moniker of “Anonymous Tipster” is self-identifying. There is no credibility if hiding behind the curtain, particulary given the screen name. This is not a trial, it is a discussion. The need to use such anonymity tells me you are ashamed of, or not sure of, what you are telling people. Stand behind your assertions. Don’t drop bombs anonymously. Inside baseball, Really?
You are right! We have made several votes at Town Meeting that have been ignored: No assistant town manager yet Elaine was given a raise and the position, No renovation of the Town Hall basement yet thousands of dollars were spent on renovation, buy the Marqudant business on Walcott Street to tear it down for a parking lot for Town Hall employees yet thousands of dollars were spent to renovate that building instead of tearing it down. All projects overseen by the town manager despite the vote of the townspeople. It’s no wonder people stop attending Town Meeting!
Very good observations, Dale. I wonder why no one else has mentioned these issues before now. You missed my favorite – the changing of the name of portions of Frankland Rd to Legacy Farms N after town meeting voted against it. It may seem petty, but it’s near and dear to my heart since I have the only house affected. How many more of these situations have been ignored?
something that has always irked me was the elimination of a portion of frankland road when town meeting voted down the name request from legacy. i thought it was very childish.
Next we are going to hear that it’s impossible for the town to hire new staff unless we raise salaries significantly, and it will require an additional increase in property tax. This after we just approved a multimillion dollar school expansion. I wouldn’t at all be surprised if we see exists in the school district office before this school is even built. Property tax is steadily becoming unsustainable.
Perhaps new Town Manager salary can be brought into line with other towns saving considerable funds.
Sadly, I am reminded of Mark Anthony’s words in Shakespeare’s ‘Julius Caesar. Act III, Scene 2.
One wonders how many millions of dollars were awarded to Solect during Mr. Khumalo’s tenure? I am NOT implying that Mr. Khumalo acted improperly, but it would sure be nice to know how much money Solect has received while Mr. Khumalo was in charge. And let’s not forget a big “shout out” here to HopNews. Yet again, HopNews gets the scoop! If you want to know what is REALLY going on in this town, please subscribe.
Curious – do you think it is important the town manager should be living in the town they manage?
I know many current and former town employees who disagreed with how he ran his office will be pleased to hear this news.
We are better than sniping about what was. We need to look forward and we need to get our management house in order. Hopkinton has a long history of poor financial management and long term planning. I believe I read that we have the highest property tax rates of all surrounding towns and we have $1 billion+ of project investments needed in the near future (water, sewer, schools, and more) and our borrowing limits will put us over legal limits. Overrides are generally just that – overrides – making the new tax amounts permanent. As a town we are like a household in crisis and need to start with basics and rebuild but with a strong plan, we are no longer a small town with the ability to manage things in a small town way. We need a strong leader who can pull it all together from BOS, to public services, to finances to pay for it all looking long term. The idea of violating legal limits is very worrying and so too is the idea that this former small town needs over $1 billion in investment needs coming very soon! I would be happy to be shown that I am wrong but the future looks difficult indeed and its not going to have an easy answer and its not going to be solved with divisive rhetoric or blaming any particular area of spending. We are where we are, its now time to figure out a path to the future. Sorry that’s so long but as a 30+ year resident I have been concerned but I am close to being terrified for our future.
Thank you, Sean. Especially appreciate, as a 40-year resident, your final words.