Town Administrator Scores High With Selectmen

Easton Town Administrator David Colton scored high in all categories during his annual performance review with Selectmen last week.

"It’s easy to do things when times are good, but it takes a real leader to do things when times are tough," Selectman Irwin Cohen said Monday when discussing Colton's review.

Colton was graded on his performance by each Selectman in 10 different categories, including financial, human resources management and labor relations, community relations, quality of life, planning and economic development, infrastructure and public works, town government efficiency and effectiveness, relationships with other levels of government, and personal and professional growth.

Colton could either exceed expectations, meet expectations or fail to meet expectations. In every instance, the Town Administrator either met or exceeded expectations. In the category of infrastructure and public works, Selectmen Chair scored Colton as "greatly exceeds expectations" for "the creativity he showed in proposing the expansion of the Shovel Shop wastewater treatment facility to include a portion of North Easton Village."

"I realize that our expectations have risen because of all you have done," Selectman Ellen Barlow told Colton Monday. "It’s still hard to exceed expectations, but you manage to do it."

Colton said his performance evaluation is meant to be completed by the end of January each year, but it was delayed this year because of "the complex and unprecedented budget challenges facing communities due to the general economic downturn." The Town Administrator

Corona said Colton was not contractually obligated to make the information in his evaluation public, but he chose to do so.

Thank you for the kind words and generosity of evaluation," Colton said. "The suggestions that were made are good ones."