Joshua Steele Kelly

Last edited April 2023.

Over 50 examples of different facets of Josh's work have been compiled into a portfolio - you can access that portfolio by clicking here.

Josh holds his Masters in Public Administration and a Graduate Certificate in Public Financial Management from the University of Connecticut's School of Public Policy. In his career in municipal government, Josh has served four different Connecticut communities, including his hometown of Waterford as an elected official, Windsor as a graduate assistant and Management Analyst, Bolton as Town Administrator and Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), and most recently Winchester/Winsted, where he serves as Town Manager and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

As the CEO in Winchester, Josh is responsible for overseeing ~100 employees across twelve different departments and divisions, including the Town's Police Department, Finance Department, Water & Sewer divisions, and more. Josh is responsible for creating a proposed annual operating and capital improvement budget each year and for administering that budget once approved by the public. Josh oversees the legal affairs of the town, proposes new policy language for Board of Selectmen consideration and action, he supervises the Town's finances and recently assisted in a double bond rating increase from A1/A+ to Aa2/AA. Josh's notable accomplishments in Winchester include creating programs that have helped Winchester see over 20 new businesses open in the downtown area in the past two years, writing and winning over $5.5 million in competitive grants in 2022 alone, proposing and seeing a $24.7 million infrastructure improvement plan adopted at public referendum, and coordinating the rescue and care of animals in the largest animal hoarding situation ever recorded in the State of Connecticut in June/July 2022. As the Town's CEO, Josh represents the Town's interests on the Northwest Hills Council of Governments (NHCOG).