Wrentham Town Administrator Ketcham Receives Vote of Confidence From Selectmen

After receiving high praise during his last evaluation in March, town administrator William Ketcham once again received the unanimous approval of the Wrentham Board of Selectmen during his latest evaluation.

Ketcham, who received a two-year contract extension earlier this year, was given positive reviews by not only the board but also from most of the department heads at town hall.

“You’ve been a real positive for Wrentham,” Selectmen Chairman Joe Botaish said.

Selectman Charles Kennedy was impressed with the way that Ketcham has been able to make sure that the town departments’ work together, saying that Ketcham is someone who is responsive and is able to get things done.

“The town is running much better than it was previously. It’s definitely a great improvement so I’m very pleased with what I’ve seen” Kennedy said.

Selectman Gail Pratt gave Ketcham similar praise, saying, “I find him very well to work with and I know the managers can speak to him, get answers.”

Selectman Stephan Langley specifically commended Ketcham for his roll in the town budgeting process last year.

“It was a very important component to the success of last year’s budget,” Langley said of Ketcham’s roll.

Addressing the budget early, Ketcham’s initiative allowed for early debate and sessions to work with other committees on the budget.

Botaish noted that the haggling that usually existed in April and May was not there as the budget was approved by early April of this year.

Selectman Michael Carroll, a former town administrator in Seekonk, said that Ketcham more than met his expectations and that his confidence in the town administrator was stable, adding that he believes that Ketcham can get things done.

Later in the evening, the board voted to give Ketcham the ability to approve the payment bills on behalf of the town. In an effort to streamline the payment of bills related to the issues including the selectmen’s office, central service, legal, medical, Carroll proposed to give Ketcham the ability to approve payments as the board just gave him their full confidence. The motion was approved 5-0.

The bills will still be in the warrant for meetings so the board can see which bills are being paid and give final approval.