13 Years in Reading and 40 years in Public Service
Reading, MA — Today, Assistant Town Manager Jean Delios embarks upon her retirement after 13 years in Reading and 40 years in public service.
Prior to becoming Assistant Town Manager, Delios worked in community development, Planning, Economic Development, Procurement, Human Resources, and Real Estate development. She has worked across the North Shore before Reading in Lynn, Somerville, Saugus, and Peabody, and even 6 years with the MBTA. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Clark and an MBA from Boston University.
When asked what makes working in the public sector special, Delios said, “It has to be your passion, as it has been mine. Like anything that is a labor of love, it’s not just a job. For me, when I got to lead solutions, partnering with other people to solve problems, that’s when I’ve loved it the most.”
“Like getting homeless people housed after a terrible flood in one of our apartment buildings downtown. That was an incredible experience, working with community partners to put together a plan to get people housing,” offered Delios. “Starting with nothing, then getting to solve something, that’s special.”
Key areas Delios embraced included zoning, simplifying regulations and permitting, and working on transformative work in local government. Over her tenure in multiple communities, she has specialized in breathing new life in downtown areas that had previously seen disinvestment and neglect. When she first joined Reading in 2009, the downtown had a few boarded-up and vacant buildings and was ripe for a re-birth.
Now, over ten years later, Reading has a vibrant downtown and is considered a model community for smart growth, even featured as such by the state. Housing development, mixed-use, and a resurgence in small businesses, including restaurants, specialty sandwich and gourmet shops, a coffee shop, and a bookstore.
Known around Town Hall as an exceptional chef and a stickler for community engagement and process, Delios has mentored generations of public servants throughout the North Shore. Her future plans include opening a new restaurant with husband Paul Delios, spoiling her West Highland White Terrier Mary, starting a gourmet cookie business, and not going to any more night meetings.
