Selectmen Want to Look Beyond the Public Sector for New Town Manager

When the selectmen being their search for a new town manager, they want to make sure they are look at more than the typical candidate for the position. As part of the process, the selectmen would like to look at members of the private sector.

To help find the new town manager, the selectmen voted 5-0 to use the  Collins Center for Public Management at the University of Massachusetts Boston for $14,000. The approved is contingent on a reserve fund transfer and the agency agreeing to look at both members of the public and private sector.

The idea came from selectman John Grey who was disappointed when he called a reference in Reading and was told the Collins Center wouldn’t let them bring in candidates from the private sector. 

Selectmen Lorriane Brue and and Jim DeVellis also reached out to towns that used the Collins Center to find a new town manager. Both heard that the process was well run and timely with one town using them again.

As part of presentation given last week, recruiter Richard Kobayashi told the board to expect 25 applicants to apply with 3-5 to be chosen for initial interviews with a screening committee with 2-3 finalist to be send to the selectmen for a final decision.