Melrose's Top Assessor Leaving For State Position

MELROSE, MA — The city' chief assessor is leaving for a top state post.

Chris Wilcock is headed for the Department of Revenue's Division of Local Services, where he'll be the bureau chief for every assessing office and evaluation in the state.

Wilcock has spent nearly eight years as Melrose's chief assessor. His last day here is June 4. The city has posted the job.

Wilcock told Patch he was looking forward to a new challenge after hopefully making his mark in Melrose. His tenure here included three mayors and two override campaigns.

"It's been fun," he said. "I've enjoyed serving the residents and elected board."

Wilcock, who lives in Beverly (and jokes he couldn't afford a home in Melrose,) leaves with the city among the most technologically advanced in the state when it comes to assessing. His office used artificial intelligence to assess properties from the sky.

It was always a time-saver but became essential during the pandemic.

"It's been a fun project and my staff has been good at picking it up and rolling with the punches," he said.

One has to look no further than the interactive budget presentation the city just laid out to see how dedicated Wilcock has been to the job. He put it together while knowing he may be leaving for the state job, and the result is more transparency at the fingertips of residents.

"I am a true public servant," he said. "I made a commitment to the mayor that we were going to get it done at a high level so I took a lot of time and work to get that done."

Wilcock is the latest department head to move on from Mayor Paul Brodeur's administration, with Health Director Ruth Clay retiring and City Solicitor Robert Van Campen taking another job.

Mike Carraggi can be reached at mike.carraggi@patch.com. Follow him on Twitter @PatchCarraggi. Subscribe to Melrose Patch for free local news and alerts and like us on Facebook