LUDLOW, Vt. – Ludlow Town Manager Scott Murphy, after serving the Town of Ludlow for roughly five years, is moving on to work as the Town Manager of Manchester, Vt., and Cavendish Town Manager Brendan McNamara is set to replace him at Ludlow. Murphy came into his position in Ludlow with years of municipal experience, having previously served as the Wilmington Town Manager and the Bennington Director of Economic and Community Development. Murphy’s experience in resort towns like Ludlow and Wilmington should transfer well to Manchester.
Murphy spoke of his experiences working with the Town of Ludlow, “Ludlow’s got a great staff, [an] admin office above and beyond… Ulla Cook is one of the best town clerks I’ve worked with… the highway department, police chief… and I’m sure I am leaving people out”
As town manager Murphy helped oversee a number of infrastructure upgrades in the town, some of which include a $3 million wastewater upgrade and sewer line replacements on High Street. There have been a number of recreation additions to the town, such as the soon to be upgraded skate park, new mountain biking trails, and the dog park at Fletcher Field.
Murphy served the Town of Wilmington from 2012-2017, during a time when the town was still recovering from the effects of Tropical Storm Irene, and the Town of Ludlow starting in 2018, through the entirety of the Covid pandemic.
Murphy mentioned that finding experienced staff has been one of the town’s biggest struggles as they lost longtime employees in multiple departments, such as the police and water departments. He also mentioned his thought that Ludlow should revisit the local option tax that “in 2018 would have brought in $600,000.” He also explained that since Ludlow was one of the original towns to do this, they are grandfathered in and would not have to get approval from the legislature for the tax.
Murphy’s last day with Ludlow was March 10, 2023, and McNamara, who has served the Town of Cavendish as town manager since 2017, is set to replace him on April 3.