By Geena Monahan—For the North Star Reporter
A new director for the Town of North Attleborough’s Information Technologies Department was confirmed by the Town Council at its April 28 meeting.
Amy Sullivan has served as the town’s acting IT Department director since end of March, after former director Keith Mueller was fired following an arrest on charges of second degree child molestation and sexual assault.
Prior to stepping into the role as acting director, Sullivan came to North Attleborough in 2015 as a user support specialist in the department, followed by a promotion in 2021 to senior user support specialist. Sullivan also brings with her over six years of experience working at Joe’s Computer Services in North Attleborough as a full-time computer repair assistant.
Town Manager Michael Borg brought the measure to confirm the hiring of Sullivan to the council, explaining that in compliance with the bargaining agreement the town has with the United Steel Workers, which covers a number of town departments, if an employee within a department applies for a position and is qualified, the town should accept their hiring.
“I sat down with Amy, we talked for almost a good hour,” said Borg. “When this opportunity came about, it was a literal no-brainer to do this. She didn’t skip a beat, we had no gaps in service, no issues, nothing that would make us pause and say ‘hey, is this the right call or decision?’”
Borg acknowledged the large role that Sullivan has played in streamlining a once tedious permitting process into a seamless online system, expanding it to all departments. According to Borg, Sullivan is one of the town’s cyber security leaders and comes forward “ready to go, out of the box” with a deep understanding of the town’s systems and inner workings.
“Part of the reason that we are very successful with our cyber defense here in town is because of her efforts,” said Borg. “Working not only with different vendors and some of the software and systems that we have, but also with training and grant programs and bringing those on board.”
Sullivan’s hiring was approved unanimously by the council with a 7-0 vote; Councilors Darius Gregory and Andrea Slobogan not in attendance. Sullivan expressed her gratitude, stating that she’s in a good position by already understanding what’s going on in town and within the IT Department, as well as the things that need to be improved upon.
In a statement to the North Star Reporter, Sullivan said she was “deeply honored” to be chosen to lead the town’s IT Department, and expressed her commitment to “prioritizing the integrity and security of the town’s data.”
“My goal is to ensure that all taxpayer-funded hardware and software are utilized to their fullest potential,” said Sullivan.
Councilor Patricia St. Pierre praised Sullivan’s handling of the tough questions thrown at her when she came in front of the Finance Subcommittee last week to present the IT Department’s budget, calling her responses a clear indicator that she has the intelligence to run the department.
Sullivan brought forth a budget with an 8% reduction in costs, and Borg credited her with spearheading these cuts and finding new ways to save money. A 9.8% cut to salaries was outlined, driven by the hiring of the new director who will initially make less per year than the previous director of 25 years, along with a 7.3% cut in expenses through software services that were no longer needed.
“My focus has always been on delivering excellent customer service, viewing every town employee as a valued customer of the IT Department,” said Sullivan. “Looking ahead, I am dedicated to streamlining systems, enhancing security and exploring innovative ways to reduce costs.”