Amherst Names New Town Administrator

James O’Mara resigned from his position as Chair of the Select Board after the board selected him as Amherst’s new town administrator.

The decision was announced by Vice Chair Bruce Bowler at the board’s meeting last night, who was nominated to the Chairman position by the other selectmen.

“The Town of Amherst will be losing a distinguished member of the Board of Selectmen, but we are gaining an outstanding Town Administrator. We are looking forward to Mr. O’Mara serving and making Amherst a better town for all of us to live in,” said Bowler in a press release.

The new town administrator will begin his full time duties sometime between late September and early October. The board will be determining how to appoint a replacement for O’Mara until the March 2012 elections.

O’Mara said he would focus on developing new business in town and maintaining a balanced budget that would be responsible with the town’s money.

“I’ve never lost sight to how precious a tax dollar is,” said O’Mara at the meeting last night.

Selectman George Infanti said in the press release that he is “quite confident Jim will not only be a great Town Administrator, but will inspire those around him to reach their maximum potential.”

O’Mara has served as the Superintendent of Corrections for Hillsborough County for over 20 years. In this position, Mr. O’Mara has had executive management responsibility for the 721 bed county correctional facility, which includes a 14.9 million dollar operating budget and a staff of over 175 full time employees.

“I have seen firsthand Jim’s management of the county jail which was quite impressive. I am confident he will have an easy transition to Town Administrator,” said Selectman Tom Grella in the press release.

O’Mara has also been a member of the Select Board since 2009, but has been heavily involved in the community in his 19 years as an Amherst resident. He has been involved with the Amherst Recreation starting in 1992, was an Assistant Pack Master and served on the Town of Amherst Ways and Means Committee for three years. In 2002 Jim was elected to his first of two terms as a member of the Amherst School Board.

“I have had the privilege of serving with Jim for five years on the Amherst School Board and over a year on the Amherst Board of Selectmen. We are lucky to have a new Town Administrator with Jim’s leadership ability. I know that Jim will look at each issue and address it in a way that will be in the best interest of the Town,” said Selectman Dwight Brew in the press release.

Gary MacGuire, the last full time town administrator, resigned earlier this year and the position has been filled in part time by Christopher Rose since.

The Select Board began the selection process last month, where the 21 applicants were eventually whittled down to two choices. Since he was applying for the position, Bowler said that O’Mara was removed from the selection process.

After the decision was announced last night, Marilyn Peterman addressed the board and asked why there was little transparency in the selection process. She said the process of selecting a town administrator had always involved citizens and department heads as well as the Select Board.

“Curious as to why, in this case, there were no panels of either citizens or professionals to interview the candidates,” said Peterman. She added that she was not “accusing the board of anything,” but said that the process should have been more open.

As town administrator, O’Mara said his door will always be open to the public and he encourages citizens to come and meet with him.

“Please come in and introduce yourself,” said O’Mara. “Without your input, we can never know how we are doing to meet your needs.”