Fitzpatrick Talks Passion for Government, Next Steps with Newton Mayor

March 21, 2025
• The two women, whose friendship dates back decades, charted their public service highlights and reflections on their career during a discussion at the Charles River Country Club.

In recognition of Women’s History Month, the Charles River Regional Chamber recognized two local female leaders: Needham Town Manager Kate Fitzpatrick and Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller, both of whom will be leaving their roles in the coming months.

During the Women in Government fireside chat Friday, they both underscored the significance of female leadership and diversity, the role of town government and what the future might hold.

Fitzpatrick, sporting her hot pink “saving democracy” suit, said she takes inspiration from younger staffers, who bring new ideas and perspectives to the workplace. In Needham, Fitzpatrick said they’ve welcomed women into top jobs “because they see that there’s a role for them.”

“People who are willing to step up and say, ‘Yes, I want this promotion because I know I can make a difference in this profession,’ it’s just so hopeful for me that local government is going to be the place because it’s such a noble profession,” Fitzpatrick said. “We are doing the work on the ground that has to be done.”

She and Fuller named Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll — formerly mayor of Salem — as a role model. Fuller highlighted Newton’s first female commissioner of public works, citing that it’s still “a man’s world.”

“Our professions are typical male professions too,” Fitzpatrick replied. Needham’s DPW Director, Carys Lustig, is also a woman.

At a time when the word diversity “has been banned by our current president,” Fuller said it’s more important than ever.

“It’s our strength. It’s how we manage. We need diverse views. We need diverse lived experiences,” Fuller said. “We are a much stronger management team and city when we are embracing diversity and including other voices.”

Fitzpatrick referred to herself and Fuller jokingly as the “best DEI hires ever.”

Fitzpatrick joined Needham 35 years ago, first as personnel director. After serving as the town administrator for almost four years, Fitzpatrick became the town’s first town manager in 2005.

Former Select Board member Dan Matthews, uniquely, voted to hire Fitzpatrick twice, and he was there to ask how the town might move forward without her at the helm. Luckily, Needham “is incredibly well-managed,” Fitzpatrick responded, signaling her trust in the “well-oiled machine” and its passionate staff.

Fitzpatrick plans to retire in early July, and while she has yet to solidify her post-Needham plans, she hopes to be “helping to inspire and coach leaders in local government,” she said.

“A colleague of mine said ‘I feel local government on the cellular level,’” she said, “so local government will always be what I’m going to be doing.”

That passion for Fitzpatrick began at 11 years old, when she wrote to her hometown of Framingham to request a spelling mistake on her street sign be corrected. She learned that “local government, if you ask them nicely, is very responsive.”

Fuller, who will not seek reelection after eight years on the job, advised community members to stay involved.

“Just keep showing up and caring,” said Fuller, who is Newton’s first female mayor. “Don’t give up.”

As she charts her next path, Fuller reflected on the current race for mayor — only one person announced their candidacy thus far, even though an open seat would normally yield a number of contenders.

“You kind of have to be crazy to want this job,” Fuller said, to laughter.

Other prominent Needhamites attended the chat, including Town Meeting member and former Planning Board member Jeanne McKnight, who asked Fitzpatrick how she successfully managed Needham through numerous building projects.

As town officials, Fitzpatrick said it’s their job to take someone’s idea and “make it happen.”

But their jobs are not without their challenges. Both women acknowledged a difficult work-life balance but emphasized the progress that results from working hard. Fitzpatrick’s eldest daughter now works as a deputy town administrator herself.

“She went to enough meetings that she said, ‘This is what I should do,’” Fitzpatrick said.

Fitzpatrick recently facilitated a Women in the Civic Arena retreat, which took place earlier this year.

With the talk’s theme in mind, Fuller suggested the women in attendance “check in on one another,” recognizing that support matters. Striking a different note — adding that it’s “Women’s History Month, for now” — Fitzpatrick told attendees to “stay angry.”

“Anger is a response to a barrier being crossed, that something’s not right. It’s a response to injustice and grief. It’s not a negative response. If we’re angry, we know that there’s something that we need to do.”

Greg Reibman, president and CEO of the chamber, closed the talk with an anecdote. At a previous fireside chat, after the chamber forgot to move a heavy podium, their panel — Fitzpatrick and Fuller included — acted quickly to move it themselves.

“That is what local leadership is about and the kind of character that these women bring and our leaders bring,” Reibman said, “and we’re so grateful.”