Representative government is the path to lasting change

By David Nathan | Photos by Todd Dionne

A couple weeks after being sworn in as chief executive of his Central Massachusetts hometown, Marlborough Mayor J. Christian Dumais ’02 still had trouble grasping the enormity of his office and its impact on his life. The “Welcome to Marlborough” road signs featuring his name were startling enough, but the texts from Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll congratulating him and reaching out during his first snowstorm were surreal.

“I received a text from her and I’m saying to myself, ‘How is this possible? How is this happening?’” Dumais recalls in an interview from his City Hall office.

Dumais, 43, now oversees a municipality of 42,000 people with about 1,500 employees and an annual budget of nearly $200 million. He is focused on improving Marlborough’s infrastructure, diversifying the housing stock, building a new fire station, and better integrating the rapidly growing Brazilian population into the life of the city.

“I have great respect for the people who work and live here and want to instill a sense of pride in Marlborough,” says Dumais, a member of the fifth generation of his family to live in the city. “I believe I was elected to bring back a sense of community.”