Norman Khumalo on Tuesday night ended his 15-year role as Hopkinton’s town manager as the Select Board voted to appoint Assistant Town Manager Elaine Lazarus to serve as the interim town manager. Board and community members reflected on Khumalo’s tenure and...
Norman Khumalo
Town releases community survey seeking input on skills desired in new town manager
Town Manager Norman Khumalo announced at Tuesday's Select Board meeting that Hopkinton has engaged Community Paradigm Associates to work with the Select Board in the search for a new town manager. As part of this process, the consulting firm developed a community...
Trails Committee won’t get funds from town to create independent website
Trails Committee chair Peter LaGoy announced at Wednesday night’s meeting that the committee was denied the use of town funds for its planned website, which would have been linked to the town’s webpage. After trying to work with the town’s Information Technology...
State approves more than $9.5M in Hopkinton’s free cash reserves
Town Manager Norman Khumalo announced Monday in a press release that Hopkinton received notification from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue of approval of its available funds, or free cash, of more than $9.5 million following fiscal year 2023. "While free cash...
Town responds to questions over new Finance Department hire who was fired from previous job
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNlNLiEhR40&t=2942s&ab_channel=HCAM At Tuesday night’s Select Board meeting, Cindy Johnston was hired as the town’s senior accounting manager, filling a void in the Finance Department that has been understaffed over the past...
Select Board approves police promotions, reviews budget requests
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNlNLiEhR40&t=2942s&ab_channel=HCAM The Select Board tackled a mammoth agenda Tuesday night, approving the promotion of two veteran Hopkinton Police Department officers to the rank of sergeant and reviewing fiscal year 2025...
Town vows to ‘defend itself’ as Crosspoint lawsuit on property compensation continues
The town continues to dispute a claim made by a Main Street property owner that unfair compensation was awarded for a portion of its land that was taken by eminent domain for the Main Street Corridor Project. Crosspoint Associates owns 61 Main Street, the...
Town experiences growing pains during leadership transition period
During the past year, Hopkinton has experienced the departure of several town leaders and the announcement of Town Manager Norman Khumalo’s retirement from municipal government to pursue a private sector position. Examples include the Department of Public Works and...
Town Manager Khumalo announces his pending departure
Town Manager Norman Khumalo announced Monday that he will be leaving his job as Hopkinton's town manager after nearly 15 years. In a public relations statement from the town, he announced that he is retiring in early 2024 after more than 30 years in municipal service...
Town Manager Khumalo will not be offered city manager position in Cambridge
The Cambridge City Council on Monday voted to offer its city manager position to Yi-An Huang, meaning Hopkinton Town Manager Norman Khumalo will remain at his current job, at least for the time being. Khumalo was among the four finalists and was praised despite not...
Khumalo in running for Cambridge city manager position
Hopkinton Town Manager Norman Khumalo, who recently interviewed for the city manager position in Watertown, also is one of four finalists for city manager in Cambridge. As previously reported, the majority of Watertown's City Council indicated a preference for one of...
Khumalo appears unlikely to be offered position in Watertown
At its meeting Thursday night, the Watertown City Council again interviewed the three finalists for the city manager position, including Hopkinton Town Manager Norman Khumalo. At the conclusion of the meeting, during a general discussion, six of the nine council...
Khumalo lauds Watertown in public forum for city manager position
Town Manager Norman Khumalo took part in a public forum in Watertown on Monday as part of his application for the city manager position there. Khumalo, one of three finalists, did not address his reasoning for considering leaving Hopkinton after 13 years at Town Hall,...
Town Manager Khumalo finalist for position in Watertown
Norman Khumalo, who has served as Hopkinton's town manager since 2009, was announced as one of three finalists for the city manager position in Watertown. The other finalists are John Curran, who is Billerica's town manager, and George Proakis, who is the executive...
Community survey open to public through Oct. 31
The town recently made available a survey for residents to complete. The survey, which was mailed to a limited number of residents earlier in the summer, now is open to all residents. The survey closes on Oct. 31. According to an email sent by Town Manager Norman...
Hopkinton looks inward for social justice solutions
Norman Khumalo is no stranger to fighting for social justice. The Hopkinton town manager grew up in Bulawayo, a city in the Southern African nation of Zimbabwe, during the 1960s and ’70s, a time of great social unrest in the region. So the calls for change he is...
Select Board roundup: Town Meeting likely to be condensed; COVID-19 cases trend younger
During Tuesday night’s Select Board meeting, Town Manager Norman Khumalo and board members indicated their preference that the Sept. 21 Town Meeting be a very short one. Khumalo said he will recommend that...
Main Street Corridor Project bid process underway
Town Manager Norman Khumalo announced Wednesday that the Main Street Corridor Improvement Project is in the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) bid process, with proposals tentatively expected to be reviewed on Aug. 11. “We are proud of the efforts by...
Khumalo, Slaman receive high praise in Select Board performance evaluations
The Select Board, in a Thursday afternoon meeting, offered high praise for Fire Chief Steve Slaman and Town Manager Norman Khumalo during their performance evaluations. Both were given an overall maximum score of 5 — defined as “exceeds expectations regularly” — from...
Businesses get creative as part of reopening plan
Phase 2 in Gov. Charlie Baker’s four-phased approach to reopening state businesses began June 8, allowing for Hopkinton restaurants, retail stores and other businesses to resume limited operations. Hopkinton Card & Gift Manager Val Bavosi described June 8 as a...