By Chris Kyne, Reporter
Nathan Boudreau took on the role of Town Clerk last November, but he is hoping to truly dive into the position at the upcoming Town Meeting and Town Election.
“I’m hoping to really get my feet wet this spring. Participating in my first Town Meeting and Town Election will be huge in helping me understand the processes from this perspective. After my first go-around, I am hoping to streamline, virtualize, and modernize the process where applicable,” Boudreau said.
The Gardner, Mass. native has ideas that he believes will bring progress to the Princeton Town government and allow him to best serve local residents.
“In government, there are many things that get done in a certain manner just because it is the way they have always been done. Not just in Princeton, across the board.” Boudreau added. “Some things are done for a precise reason, and I’ll never be one to tell you I know everything, but if I can move the ball forward each month, each year, I think I’m doing my job and serving the residents of Princeton honorably.”
Boudreau’s life has always been shaped by community advocacy, a mentality he hopes to bring to his role as Town Clerk.
“I caught the public service bug very young, and it has always been an important aspect of my life,” Boudreau explained.
After college, Boudreau was not quite sure where life would take him. “I have always gravitated more towards community-centric events rather than say academics, athletics or other disciplines,” Boudreau said. “I’ve always been a huge advocate for community and knew that I was a people person who loved helping, so when I got out of college and I didn’t know which way to go, I went back to my roots.”
For Boudreau, that meant working at a non-profit and running for City Councilor in his hometown of Gardner, Mass at age 23. Boudreau won the seat and served in that role for over seven years.
“I ran for the City Council because I saw the need for someone who grew up in and understood the community to help prepare it for a new generation,” Boudreau said.
Professionally, Boudreau has worked as a Legislative Aide for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, a Teen Hope Coordinator for House of Peace and Education, Inc., and various roles within Massachusetts state politics. These include the Executive Aide in the Town of Shirley, and Chief of Staff for the office of former State Senator Dean Tran. Prior to accepting the position in Princeton, Boudreau was the Senior Executive Aide for the Mayor of the City of Marlborough.
Boudreau said when the Town Clerk position opened up in Princeton, he was quite interested for several reasons.
“I’ve been working in municipal and state government for the last 10 years and was working pretty far away,” Boudreau said. “I’m also getting my [Master of Public Administration from Clark University] in June, so I felt it was time to come closer to home and dig in.”
Boudreau was not only attracted to the role of Town Clerk, but to the Town of Princeton itself.
“Princeton was a 15-minute commute, and I had always been interested in elections but had never really thought about being a Town Clerk, but when I saw the posting on the Mass. Municipal jobs board, I said, you know what, I’ve always been a big fan of Princeton, it’s a beautiful classic New England town, and everyone there seems nice. Let’s give it a shot.”
Boudreau added that he also knew he “had the experience, training, and education to work in the elections and records access world, and would do well with the administrative and service functions that happen within the Clerk’s office and Town Hall.”
Boudreau still lives in Gardner with his girlfriend of seven years and their dogs, Independence and Liberty Belle. Boudreau enjoys hiking on Wachusett Mountain, something he said helped familiarize himself with Princeton. Boudreau also enjoys spending his summers at his family camp in Templeton and having fun out on the water with friends.