By Janet Stoica

After working for the City of Worcester for more than two decades, Auburn’s Assistant Town Manager/ Human Resources Manager and now Interim Town Manager, Dori Vecchio, says her focus on civil service has not changed over the years. “I’m here to provide the best service possible to all Auburn residents,” said Ms. Vecchio, “working for our cities and towns has been an opportunity like no other. The satisfaction of completing a project within budget and having it completed in the best way possible for all residents and taxpayers is an accomplishment that benefits our residents in the best way possible. ”

She has worked towards ascending positions of town management in her years of employment for Worcester, Blackstone, and now Auburn. “This job feels good, it’s fun and very rewarding,” said Ms. Vecchio. 

After receiving her Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Worcester State College (now known as Worcester State University), she furthered her educational expertise by earning her Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Clark University in Worcester. 

Vecchio worked in various positions for the City of Worcester for 23 years. She began her career in the City Manager’s office as Director of Administration for 10 years then served in the Budget Office as Finance Manager with her last position being Human Resource Director for 10 years working with former Worcester City Manager Michael O’Brien.  She has also been the Town Administrator for the town of Blackstone. 

Since her appointment as interim Town Manager on February 1, 2025, her schedule has been filled with department head meetings. “I wanted to meet with everyone to let them know what I wanted to do and to learn what they needed from me. Our employees are unique and that’s why Auburn is so great,” she said. She has aspired to the Town Manager position since she began working for the town. “We’re all in the same boat. We must provide the best service possible to all the town residents. When I left Worcester to become the Blackstone Town Administrator and then saw the Auburn Assistant Town Manager posting, I knew I wanted to be here,” said Ms. Vecchio, “there’s always a lot going on in Auburn. We’re expanding and growing daily.”

She expounded on the recent Fire Station Building Committee’s meeting with the Board of Selectmen to approve use of the $5 million of free cash in the town’s stabilization fund saving Auburn taxpayers $1.7 million. “The Committee has also amended the new building’s plans with additional cost-saving measures and hired a project manager who will manage and design resulting in more cost savings,” she said. “We want to save money to build our new structures dependent upon whether new growth may happen in the future. With an eye to the future, we hope to be able to add on to existing buildings.” 

“A month or two ago, we got involved with a project the town of Spencer is working on to look into the feasibility of a shared 911 dispatch center. It’s a grant-feasibility study for regionalizing 911 dispatching,” she added.

Ms. Vecchio stated that she has four months to do as much as she can for the town of Auburn. “I look forward to being interviewed with all other candidates,” she said, “Auburn deserves the best Town Manager candidate, someone who will fight for them, and that doesn’t involve a four-month break.”