Town Manager Search Implodes

The Board of Selectmen got an earful Monday when they learned that animosity and infighting on the Town Manager Screening Committee have effectively derailed the selection process, which has a July deadline.

Instead of the committee's scheduled update on its progress, selectmen heard reports of confusion over the body's powers and responsibilities, as well as evidence of personal acrimony between some of its members and the consultant hired to assist in the process. The revelations culminated with the resignation of the screening committee's chairman, Dr. Barbara Schneider.

In a prepared statement, Schneider told selectmen that her committee's confusion over its precise mandate, as well as how it was expected to work with Thomas Groux—the professional consultant hired by the town—was at the root of the problems, which quickly escalated from matters of procedure to personal friction and accusations of wrongdoing.

Schneider said clear instructions from the selectmen about the committee's role in the process “could have helped immensely,” yet they had none.

The committee's difficulties apparently began at its first meeting, when Groux explained that he was empowered to present the selectmen with candidates for Town Manager who were not previously approved by the committee, and to submit his own opinions, negative or positive, about any candidates that the committee did recommend.

Selectman Mary Pat Flynn, liaison to the screening committee, said Monday that while the committee had not received a copy of Groux's contract, the consultant had made his responsibilities clear.

“In the first two meetings,” Flynn told the committee, “he conveyed what his role was, and what your role was.”

Flynn called Groux “a very mild-mannered person,” and added that she was “really appalled at the way in which some members of the committee attacked him.”

Several members of the committee have accused Schneider and Groux of violating Open Meeting and confidentiality laws by meeting to discuss applicants without the presence of the public or the rest of the committee, and by talking to the press about the committee's deliberations.

Selectman chair Brent Putnam said that the town's attorney had reviewed the accusations and had found no wrongdoing.

The selectmen's next step is uncertain, and will depend on whether and when it can meet with representatives of MMA Consulting Group about hiring a new professional consultant to replace Groux. The board voted to contact the company immediately, and to schedule a meeting as soon as possible. That meeting could take place Monday, May 2, or even before.

Committee member Paul Brodeur told the selectmen that, if an agreement with MMA were reached, he too would have to step down, as he consults for the company. That would bring the committee's original nine-person roster down to seven, still an odd number that would avoid tie votes. Still, it was clear Monday that the committee's continued existence is not a given.

“Until we have a consultant,” said selectman Melissa Freitag, “the committee is dormant.”

Several options are available to the selectmen, including dissolving the screening committee and working directly with the consultant.

One thing the town cannot afford, said Putnam, is forming a whole new committee, a process which could take months.

“That kind of delay is not appropriate,” Putnam said. “It is not fair to this town.”

Putnam also apologized to the committee members, saying the board should have provided more guidance.

“The board was deficient in this situation,” he said. “They say you learn from your mistakes. But this was a serious one.”