Framingham's Thatcher Kezer Finalist For Dracut Town Manager Job

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Just about two years after he was hired, Framingham Chief Operating Officer Thatcher Kezer III might be heading for a new job.

Kezer, a former Air National Guard lieutenant colonel, was named one of the four finalists for the open town manager job in Dracut, according to the Lowell Sun. The job would be a return to Kezer's North Shore roots — he served two terms as mayor of Amesbury.

Mayor Yvonne Spicer hired Kezer in March 2018, and he has been involved in some of the city's highest-profile issues, from host agreements with cannabis businesses to the recent negotiations surround the purchase of the Perini building. He also speaks for the mayor at City Council meetings, which in recent months took a sour turn.

For the Dracut job, Kezer is competing with Groton Town Manager Mark Haddad, Southbridge Town Manager Ronald San Angelo, and Kenneth Gray, a former rival. In 2013, Gray beat Kezer in the Amesbury mayoral election. In a recount, Gray won but three votes, 2,094 to 2,091.

Dracut's last town manager, Jim Duggan, quit the job in October amid a clash with the Board of Selectmen. The town hired the Edward J. Collins, Jr. Center for Public Management in November to find Duggan's replacement.

If Kezer gets the job, he would be the second big name to depart the mayor's office in recent months. In November, Jacquetta Van Zandt left her job as Spicer's senior advisor of external relations to work for Rep. Joe Kennedy III's U.S. Senate campaign.

In recent months, Fire Chief Joseph Hicks and Public Works Director Peter Sellers have announced their retirements.