I was surprised to learn that at the March 19 meeting the Select Board not only voted against hiring an independent firm to conduct the search for Harvard’s next town administrator, but that they rejected the idea without soliciting any formal proposals.
The role of town administrator holds significant responsibility and is enormously important to the town of Harvard. The person appointed by the Select Board has an impact on town committees, employees, volunteers, finances, and on our town overall, and it is imperative that we ensure that the search committee has the very best candidates to choose from.
Since the vote against using an independent search firm was taken without a request for proposals, the members of the Select Board deliberated without considering bids providing clear cost estimates, descriptions of services to be rendered, timelines, or scope of work.
In high-level and important searches, it is a best practice to evaluate and hire a search firm to objectively identify, interview, and assemble qualified candidates for consideration by the search committee. In this way, the search remains impartial and ensures a skilled and diverse pool of applicants. The Select Board has made a commitment to increasing diversity among employees in its statement of diversity:
“The Town will take specific steps … to ensure that our hiring practices are transparent and fair, and … seek to increase and retain diversity among the Town’s workforce.”
It appears that the use of an independent search firm would align well with this goal as outlined by the Select Board.
I implore the Select Board to issue an RFP to allow a more thorough and objective evaluation of the resources available to help Harvard find our next town administrator, and urge them to retake the vote at a future meeting.
Amy Morton
Ayer Road
