NAHANT — As she prepares to retire at the beginning of next year, Town Accountant Deborah Waters is quietly aware of the legacy she leaves behind.
The first woman on the North Shore to ever take on a municipal accounting role, Waters began her career at Nahant Town Hall on Feb. 20, 1995.
“It amazes me that even just 26 years ago, these roles were mostly men,” Waters said. “Although it’s changed since then, I felt very happy to be opening the door for women, being a part of that.”
Hired to replace Joseph Canty, the lifelong Nahant resident worked in the private sector for more than a decade before taking on her current position, which she said she was initially drawn to by the simple promise of a short commute.
“That was my main goal at the time, to avoid a commute in,” she laughed. “But also it became a (chance) to actually contribute to my hometown.”
Recognizing an opportunity to serve her community, Waters threw herself into the new role, immediately heading to school to become certified in municipal accounting before later joining the Mass Municipal Auditors and Accounting Association, where she said she met countless other like-minded people in her industry during the organization’s yearly conference.
Although accounting may not seem like a particularly social career path, Waters said that from her peers to her fellow Nahant residents, it’s the people who have made the job what it is.
“I had never had municipal experience. It was a very different animal than the regular accounting jobs of the private sector,” she said of the learning curve she experienced during those first few years. “But I really learned a lot from those meetings, and I probably learned even more in the hospitality room than the classes.”
She added that her love of her hometown and the people in it is what’s kept her driven for the past 26 years.
“You care more, knowing the residents, knowing the community,” she said.
Waters, who was hired by Nahant’s first town administrator, Mike Wood, has seen her fair share of turnover in her two and a half decades at town hall. In fact, she’s one of just two municipal employees left from the time she herself joined the staff.
In a statement provided to The Item, current Nahant Administrator Antonio Barletta, who has worked alongside Waters since 2018, praised Waters for her years of service to the town.
“Debbie is everything you desire in a municipal official,” he said. “She has dedicated her professional career to doing what is best for the community of Nahant. We wish her a happy and healthy retirement and thank her for 26 years of unwavering commitment.”
The town’s Board of Selectmen agreed.
“Deb’s selfless devotion of her time and knowledge, during this pandemic, speaks volumes of the type of person she is,” said Chair Mark Cullinan. “Nahant is so lucky to have someone like Deb who cares so much about her community. As bad as this past year have been, it could have been much worse if it wasn’t for Deb.”
Selectman Joshua Antrim spoke to the important role Waters has played in Nahant’s financial management over the last 26 years.
“Debbie’s steady hand and institutional knowledge have been critical in guiding the town through transitions of town administrators and changes in Advisory, Finance Committee, and Board of Selectmen membership,” he said.
As for Waters, she has mixed emotions about leaving the job she loves, but said she’s excited to pass the torch off to her successor, Alison Nieto, who will take over the role when Waters leaves in January.
Her one piece of advice?
“Stay out of politics,” Waters said. “Sometimes you might feel strongly about (an issue), but we have to step back and realize, ‘my job is to handle the finances. The Board of Selectmen and Town Meeting are the ones who run the way things go.”
