Meet Laura Murray
Updated: 7 hours ago
Q: Laura, for people who don't know you, tell us a little about yourself. What brought you to Watertown?
I moved to Watertown in 2012, right after graduating from high school. Growing up, I had always had friends who lived here, so I spent a lot of time in Watertown long before officially calling it home.
Moving from “The Lake” in Newton to Watertown felt like a natural transition. It was already a community I knew and loved. I’ve been here ever since, and I can honestly say I’ve loved every minute of it!
Q: What are some of your favorite things about living here?
What I love most about Watertown is its incredible sense of community. The friendships I made when I first moved here are friendships I still cherish today. Even those who have since moved away remain proud to call Watertown home.
From spending time at Moxley watching my friends play and teach basketball, to coaching youth cheerleading alongside friends who once directed the program, I have always been surrounded by people who are passionate about giving back to this community. It seems like everyone I know has been involved in the City in some way, whether through sports, volunteering, or community programs.
That sense of connection, pride, and involvement is what makes Watertown so special to me.
Q: What thing would you “fix” or change, if you could?
I would love to strengthen our partnership with the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), particularly when it comes to community events and engagement opportunities. With so much DCR-managed land throughout Watertown, I believe there is tremendous untapped potential to utilize spaces like the Charles River Walk for additional community events, volunteer initiatives, and activities that bring residents together while enhancing our shared public spaces.
Q: What was your career journey before you came to work for the City?
Before joining the City of Watertown, I worked for a company called Livtech, where I managed a virtual call center supporting four different healthcare technology products. These platforms helped caregivers receive payment, allowed users to submit timecards for long-term care insurance claims, and facilitated claims processing for Medicare and Medicaid.
My role went far beyond managing the customer service team. I worked closely with developers and business analysts to continuously improve our products, troubleshoot issues following new releases, and ensure that the people building the technology truly understood how customers were using it. I loved being able to bridge the gap between the customer experience and the technical side of the business.
One of the things I am most grateful for from my time at Livtech was the incredible leadership I had above me. I had an amazing manager and Chief Operating Officer who genuinely believed in me, invested their time in teaching me, and encouraged me to grow. I learned so much of what I know today from them, both professionally and personally. I feel incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn from their experience and absorb as much knowledge as I could. I truly believe I would not be where I am today without their mentorship and support.
Looking back, Livtech was the perfect stepping stone for my career. It gave me the experience, confidence, and skills I needed to take on the challenge of building and launching Watertown's first 311 Service Center. So much of what I learned about customer service, technology, process improvement, and leadership directly influenced how I approached creating the department from the ground up. I will always be grateful for that experience and, most importantly, for the people who saw potential in me and helped me get to where I am today.
Q: You lead our 311 Constituent Service Team. In a nutshell, what exactly is 311? What does the small but mighty team of you and Stephanie do?
I like to think of 311 as the gateway to City services. Whether someone has a general question about an upcoming event, needs to know how to dispose of an old piece of furniture, or wants to report a pothole or animal remains that need to be collected, 311 is their one-stop shop for all things Watertown.
We encourage residents to reach out to us with any question or concern, big or small. Even if we aren't the ones who can directly resolve an issue, we will make sure they get connected with the right person or department. One of the greatest advantages of our team is that we work closely with every City department, which gives us a unique understanding of how the City operates and who can best assist with each situation.
What I love most about 311 is the relationships we build with the people we serve. Whether someone calls, texts, emails, or stops by to see us in person, we want them to feel heard, supported, and confident that someone is there to help. We take pride in being approachable, knowledgeable, and dependable.
At the end of the day, our job is to make City government easier to navigate and more accessible to everyone. We're here to help, and that's exactly what we do!
Q: 311 is relatively new, and you led the start-up. What was that like? Any fun stories?
Launching Watertown's first 311 Service Center was an incredible experience and one of the most rewarding challenges of my career. I knew I wasn't reinventing the wheel, so I made it a point to connect with the Directors of 311 in both Somerville and Boston. I wanted to pick their brains, learn from their experiences, and absorb as much knowledge as I could so that I could make informed decisions about how our own service center would operate.
Believe it or not, documenting our processes, working with City departments to explain how 311 would function and support their work, and physically setting up the Service Center were actually the easy parts!
The biggest challenge was something I hadn't anticipated at all: getting the phone number 311 to actually work in Watertown. This required coordinating with multiple telecommunications companies, including Verizon, AT&T, and Astound, to establish the geographic routing that would allow someone dialing 311 within Watertown to be automatically connected to our designated ten-digit phone number.
You would think this would be a fairly straightforward process, but it was anything but! Nearly every company I contacted hadn't handled this type of request in years. I can't tell you how many times I was transferred from one department to another, sometimes at least ten times, just trying to find someone who knew how to help me.
If those phone companies learned anything during that process, it's how persistent I can be! I wasn't going to take no for an answer, and thankfully, after a lot of phone calls, follow-ups, and determination, we got it done.
It definitely wasn't a challenge I had planned for, but looking back, it's one of my favorite stories from launching 311. It reminded me that sometimes the biggest obstacles aren't the ones you expect, and a little persistence can go a long way!
Q: What are some examples of things residents should contact 311 about? What are some things they might not realize 311 can help with?
Constituents can reach out to 311 for just about any non-emergency City-related question, concern, or service request. Whether someone needs help setting up their Water Meter Portal account, wants to report a streetlight that is out, or notices a tree that needs pruning, we're here to help. We'll make sure the request gets to the appropriate department and, just as importantly, follow up to close the loop once the issue has been addressed.
One thing I think people don't always realize is that you don't need to know which department to contact before reaching out to us. That's what we're here for! If you have a City-related question and aren't sure where to start, start with 311. We'll help you navigate the process and connect you with the right people.
For example, the Mount Auburn Street Project is managed by MassDOT, not the City of Watertown. But that doesn't mean residents need to figure out who at the state level can answer their questions. They can contact us, and we'll work directly with MassDOT to get the information they need and follow up with them.
At the end of the day, our goal is to make interacting with the City government as easy and stress-free as possible. We don't want residents to feel like they're being passed from one department to another or left wondering who to contact. We want them to know they have a team they can count on to help them find answers, get things done, and keep them informed along the way.
Q: What happens after a resident calls or submits a request? Can you walk us through what happens behind the scenes?
Once a resident submits a service request, it is routed directly to the appropriate City department for review and action. The department acknowledges receipt of the request so the resident knows it has been received and is being addressed.
Depending on the nature of the request, the department may generate an internal work order to track and coordinate the work that needs to be completed. Once the work is finished, the work order is closed for internal recordkeeping, and the original service request is updated and closed out.
Most importantly, the resident is notified that their request has been completed. We really emphasize the importance of closing the loop with our constituents. We don't want someone to submit a request and be left wondering what happened to it. Our goal is to ensure residents feel heard, stay informed throughout the process, and know that their concerns have been addressed.
Q: What information is most helpful when someone submits a 311 request? And when is a photo particularly useful?
The most helpful information a resident can provide when submitting a service request is a specific location and a clear description of the issue. The more details we have, the easier it is for our crews to locate and address the problem.
For example, rather than simply reporting a sinking sewer drain on Main Street, it is much more helpful to say, "The sewer drain in front of 149 Main Street, closest to the City Hall exit near Upper Saltonstall Park, appears to be sinking."
Those extra details make a big difference! They help our crews know exactly where to go without having to spend additional time searching for the issue.
Photos are also incredibly helpful. They give our teams a visual understanding of the problem before they even arrive on-site, allowing them to better assess the situation and prepare for the work that may be needed.
Ultimately, the more information residents can share with us, the more efficiently we can get their requests into the right hands and help resolve the issue.
Q: What's the biggest misconception you hear about 311?
One misconception is that we're simply a call center that takes messages and passes them along. In reality, we work closely with every City department, help coordinate solutions, track requests, and follow up to make sure residents get the information or assistance they need.
At the end of the day, we're not just answering phones. We're building relationships, connecting people with their local government, and making City services more accessible to everyone.
Q: If you could get every Watertown resident to remember just one thing about 311, what would it be?
I always want people to remember that you don't need to have a problem to call 311, and you certainly don't need to have all the answers before reaching out. Whether you're looking for information, need assistance with a City service, or want to report a concern, we're here to make the process easier.
Q: Laura, you come in every day, knowing you’ll be hearing from unhappy or disgruntled people. That can’t be easy. What do you enjoy most about your work?
I love my job because, at the end of the day, I genuinely love helping people. Of course, that sometimes means having conversations with people who are frustrated or upset, but I've learned that it's important not to take those interactions personally. They're not upset with me; they're upset about a situation or an issue they're experiencing. My job is to listen, help them understand what's happening, and do everything I can to find a solution.
Honestly, some of those difficult conversations end up being the most rewarding. There's nothing better than getting to the end of a call and hearing someone say, "I'm sorry I was so upset with you earlier." To me, that means I was able to turn a frustrating experience into a positive one, simply by listening, showing empathy, and doing my best to help.
Q: What have you learned about Watertown from talking with residents every day?
One of the biggest things I've learned in this role is that the people of Watertown reach out because they care. They care about their neighborhoods, their streets, their community, and the City they call home. And the thing is, I care just as much as they do!
We may not always agree on everything, and I may not always be able to give someone the exact answer they're hoping for, but I truly believe we're all working toward the same goal: making Watertown the best community it can be.
That's what makes this job so meaningful to me. It's not just about resolving service requests or answering questions. It's about connecting with people, building trust, and reminding residents that there are people on the other end of the phone who genuinely care about their concerns and their community.
Q: How can folks reach 311?
By phone: From within Watertown, dial 311. From outside, dial 617-458-8311
By text: 617-458-8311
By email: 311@watertown-ma.gov
By see/click/fix app: Watertown MA, in both Apple Store and Google Play Store
Q: Last but not least: what book, food, movie, sport, music, show, or “you name it” is your current passion?
I am currently on a soup kick. It is definitely soup season and I have been loving trying new recipes. So far, the Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup has been my favorite.
Ingredients:
1lb of Spicy Italian Sausage
1 yellow onion chopped
3 carrots, chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
½ tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp of italian seasoning
1tsp salt
6 oz of tomato paste
½ all purpose flour
7 cups of beef broth
20 oz of cheese tortellini
2 cups of heavy cream
2 cups of fresh spinach
½ of grated parmesan + more for serving
Instructions:
In a large stockpot over medium high heat, add onion and saute for a minute before adding sausage. Cook for a minute, then add spices. Continue to cook until almost browned.
Add carrots, and celery. Sauté about 5 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften.
Stir in tomato paste. Cook for another 5 minutes, until fragrant.
Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 1 minute (it will look dry, just keep stirring so it doesn’t burn).
Gradually pour in the broth, stirring well. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes.
Stir in cream, tortellini, and spinach. Simmer until the tortellini is tender, about 2-3 minutes.
Finish with Parmesan and stir until melted. Serve hot with extra cheese on top.
