Former Warrant Committee Chair Lubien Hired As Belmont’s New CFO

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Photo: Geoff Lubien

Geoff Lubien, the former chair of the Warrant Committee, has been hired to be Belmont’s new Chief Financial Officer, according to Town Administrator Patrice Garvin.

The announcement, made at the start of the Monday, April 6 Select Board meeting, comes after the town spent seven months filling the post held by Jennifer Hewitt, the town’s financial director and assistant town administrator, who left in September. 

The CFO office is a new position in the town’s administrative office. 

“While we poached him from the private sector, [Lubien] has been … instrumental in the past 10 years of municipal finance in the town, while his private sector experience truly made him the outstanding candidate,” said Garvin.

Lubien will start Monday, April 27, just before the start of the annual Belmont Town Meeting. 

Garvin said the process started with 30 applicants, which was then pared down to six.

“We had a lot of good, strong applicants, which is very nice, considering there were some years that we saw the applicant pool decrease a little bit,” said Garvin.

Assisted by the town’s Human Resources Director Kelli King, and with the help of current members of the Warrant Committee, the Board of Trustees for the Library, and a former member of the Select Board, the finalists were interviewed, and three finalists were chosen from whom Lubien was selected.

Lubien comes to the job from his position as a marketing analyst with Bedford-based iRobot. His experience in town government includes serving on the Warrant Committee, the Financial Task Force, and his current post on the Senior Tax Relief Working Group. 

Select Board members were overwhelmingly positive about Lubien’s hiring.

“[Lubien] is the kind of the person who knows Belmont and municipal government really well, [while] also having the background in analytic experience. I’m thrilled,” said Select Board Chair Matt Taylor.

“Geoff’s awesome. I’ve worked with him for 10 years. Nobody knows the talent, finances, and budget better than [Lubien]” said member Elizabeth Dionne.

Speaking to the Belmontonian while working the polls at the Belmont Public Library on Tuesday, April 7, Lubien said taking his talents to the municipal government “is something I’ve been thinking about for a while.”

“I actually talked with Jennifer Hewitt about getting into the municipal government side about a year ago, and started to do some research. And then this opportunity came up.” He reached out to Garvin who encouraged him to apply.

“I’m looking forward to bringing my background with statistics and econometrics to the position. I really like the idea of a job that actually contributes to the greater good and uses everything I’ve learned on the job and works with the town,” he said.

While well versed in the town’s finances, “there’s a learning curve as there are details that I was never privy to because the town folks were working on that. There’s going to be a lot of learning, and I recognize that, and it’s exciting too,” said Lubien.

Lubien already knows there’s one big change with the new job. “Like many people, I’ve worked from home for a while, so I’ll be in the office every day of the week, which is good because I’m ready to get out of the house.”

And it also means a trip to the shops. “I don’t have any work clothes that fit anymore,” Lubien said.

Warrant Committee’s Chair Geoff Lubien Launches Campaign For Select Board

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Photo: The team: Treasurer Cabell Eames; Geoff Lubien, Campaign Chair Taylor Yates

Two days after Mark Paolillo said he would not run for re-election to the Belmont Select Board, the first candidate seeking to fill the open seat has thrown his hat into the ring.

Warrant Committee Chair Geoff Lubien arrived early Monday morning, Nov. 20, at the Town Clerk’s office to take out nomination papers. An eight-year veteran of the town’s financial watchdog group, Lubien launched his campaign committee for Select Board in the upcoming April 2 town election. 

“Mark Paolillo’s retirement, coming after 12 years of distinguished service, comes at a critical time for our town as we face a longstanding fiscal deficit,” Lubien said in a press release dated Nov. 20. “It is imperative that the next Select Board Member understands how town government functions in conjunction with its volunteer committees and administration.”

“The next Select Board Member also needs to understand Belmont’s realities as we navigate our community’s needs with the Town’s budget. Serving as an elected Town Meeting Member and appointed member on several Committees for most of the past decade led me to make this important decision to run in 2024 to continue supporting and promoting what is best for our community,”

In a statement provided and released to the Lubien campaign, Paolillo said, “Geoff Lubien’s resume, strong financial skills, and years of town volunteerism are all highly impressive. I have enjoyed working with him over … the past several years as a member of the Financial Task Force II and the Warrant Committee.”

“Geoff is trustworthy and has proven he is deeply committed to doing what is best for the town of Belmont,” Paolillo continued.

Serving on his committee are Chair Taylor Yates, who sits on the Planning Board and is Chair of the Vision 21 Implementation Committee, and Treasurer Cabell Eames, who is Vice Chair of the Belmont Democratic Town Committee.

“Geoff is the experienced and steady leader Belmont needs because our current challenges require someone who knows how the levers of our government work and how to pull them to make Belmont better,” Yates said in the Monday press release.

“We are lucky to have a candidate with a deep understanding of Belmont during a fiscal crisis. We cannot think of anyone better than Geoff for this position and are proud to be a part of his campaign,” he said. 

www.lubienforbelmont.com.