Members of Board of Selectmen (BOS) chose Marie Sobalvarro Tuesday night to be their chairman for the coming year. They also elected Bill Johnson to be vice chairman and Ron Ricci to serve as clerk.
The move seemed to surprise Sobalvarro, who listened in silence as her name was placed in nomination by Ricci and then seconded by Johnson. Unlike the past two years, there were no further nominations, and outgoing Chairman Peter Warren quickly called for the vote. The vote to confirm her was unanimous.
The chairman of the BOS sets the agenda for and presides over all regular and special meetings of the body, which is responsible for setting policy and overseeing management of town departments. In that role a chairman can exercise considerable influence over the discussions that take place. During the past year, Sobalvarro served as vice chairman and was a liaison to the Municipal Buildings Committee (MBC) and Finance Committee, on which she had served previously as an appointed member. Her professional experience includes work as a management consultant for Andersen Consulting and Deloitte & Touche. She is known on town boards for her expertise in matters of employee health insurance. Sobalvarro and Ricci were both returned to the BOS by voters in town elections earlier this month, and among the three candidates, Sobalvarro was the top vote-getter.
The so-called “reorganization of the board” was the last item on the agenda Tuesday night, and Warren was visibly smiling as he opened discussion, a fact noted by Ricci. “We thank you for your service,” he said to Warren, before stating that he had someone in mind to replace him, “Someone who can do a heck of a job for the town.” That person turned out to be Sobalvarro, who, immediately following the vote, changed places with a relaxed Warren and took charge of the remaining business of the night.
