Glastonbury Town Council Announces Town Manager Finalists

GLASTONBURY, CT — The Glastonbury Town Council Wednesday announced it has narrowed the search for the next town manager to three candidates.

Earlier this year, the town hired Strategic Government Resources to assist with the search process. SGR is a Texas-based executive recruitment firm.

"SGR's proprietary recruitment and vetting process produced an incredibly strong field of candidates for Glastonbury," town officials said.

The town received 29 applications from candidates in 14 states and Canada.

The three finalists are:

• Jonathan Luiz has served as the town administrator for Weston, CT, for the past five years. Prior to Weston, he held other positions in Connecticut municipalities, including assistant town manager in Windsor, town administrator in Columbia, and administrative services coordinator in Canton. He holds a Juris Doctor Degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law, and a bachelor's degree in Political Science from Emory University. He has also attended the University of Virginia’s Senior Executive Institute and is a Credentialed Manager from the International Association of City/County Management Association.
• Joshua (Josh) Kelly has served as the town manager and chief executive officer for Winchester/Winsted since 2021, and prior to that, he was the town administrator in Bolton for two years. He has also served as Windsor's management analyst and was a graduate assistant in the town manager's office. He served on the Waterford Inland Wetland and Conservation Commission, and was on the Representative Town Meeting there as well as an alternate member of the Zoning Board of Appeals. He holds a master's degree in Public Administration from the University of Connecticut, and a bachelor's degree in Political Science from Wheaton College. Kelly is also a Certified Municipal Official through the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities.
• William (Bill) Riccio, Jr. has served the City of Newport, RI as the director of public services for more than 16 years. He also worked as the project manager/highway engineer for the Rhode Island Department of Transportation for 17 years. Riccio holds a master’s degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Rhode Island and a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He has also attended both Harvard University’s Senior Executives in State and Local Government and Leadership in the 21st Century programs, as well as Pennsylvania State University’s Executive Management Program for Transportation Engineers.

The Glastonbury Town Council initially identified 10 semifinalists who completed detailed questionnaires and pre-recorded video interviews, from which the final three finalists were selected to participate in upcoming interviews, scheduled for Dec. 12 and 13.

The on-site interview process will begin with an informal candidate breakfast for the candidates and Town Council members. When the breakfast concludes, the candidates will tour the community and return for interview sessions with senior town staff members and a resident panel of community representatives selected by each member of the Town Council.

Following those meetings, a Community meet-and-greet event is on tap for Dec. 12 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Riverfront Community Center at300 Welles St.

"Glastonbury residents are invited and encouraged to attend this in-person forum for an opportunity to meet the finalists," council members said.

On Dec. 13, the Town Council will interview each candidate again in closed sessions, followed by deliberations and the ultimate selection of the top candidate for the town manager position.

Glastonbury Town Council Chairman Tom Gullotta said, "The council and I are pleased to welcome the final candidates to Glastonbury, where they will experience our wonderful community first-hand, and have the opportunity to meet with senior staff members, the resident panel, and the Glastonbury Town Council. We encourage town residents and stakeholders to participate in the meet-and-greet session on Monday evening to meet with the finalists and welcome them to our community. On behalf of the council, we look forward to getting to know each finalist over the two-day, on-site interview process and identifying the best candidate for our next town manager."