Last week, Town Administrator Tim Bragan announced his retirement, effective July 1. Select Board Chair Rich Maiore told the board there were two options—hiring an executive recruiting firm or creating a committee of board members and residents to conduct the search. Over objections from member Kara Minar, Maiore empowered Bragan to gather cost and process information from three to five search firms that specialize in municipal administrators.
On Feb. 29, Bragan sent the board a letter with his recommendation for finding a replacement, namely that the board assess the assistant town administrator, Marie Sobalvarro, as a candidate before looking elsewhere. Bragan said Sobalvarro, who has been in the job since 2013, already possesses years of experience and knowledge.
He also cautioned that the pool of town administrators has shrunk over the past few years and competition for well-qualified candidates is “fierce.” He said Bolton is currently looking for a replacement for its town administrator.
Maiore told the board a search firm could help with defining the criteria, publishing the job description, and vetting resumes. Minar said an outside firm would help to separate the search process from the town’s pool of candidates, and it would cast a broader net. Member Don Ludwig said he agreed that it would be good to have professionals executing the search, but a town committee would probably still be necessary to help define the process.
During public comment, prior to the board’s discussion of the hiring process, a Westcott Road resident, Ben Myers, read a letter to the Select Board signed by 73 residents, including a few former Select Board members. The letter asked the board to consider what skills and qualities are needed in an administrator as the town faces its current and future challenges.
The letter urged that the search be external and professional to “be assured of a credible and competitive pool of applicants from which to choose.” It asked that the board create a search committee that includes “key staff, volunteers, and residents with experience in evaluating and hiring executive-level managers.”
When board members asked the cost of hiring a search firm, Maiore said he thought it was in the ballpark of $15,000. He asked Bragan to contact a handful of firms and ask what role they typically play in the process and what it would cost.
Minar asked that Bragan instead provide the board members with just the names of some firms, so the board could contact them for price and process information. “I think there should be some independence,” she said. But Maiore’s decision stood, and Bragan will present his findings at the board’s next meeting, March 19. Maiore said the board will decide at that meeting whether to use an outside firm.
The day after the meeting, Minar told the Press that this was an initial discussion, and she hopes the board will have an opportunity to interview a number of search firms “so that we have an independent and credible search for a new town administrator.” In response to a question about Bragan’s participation in the search process, Maiore told the Press, “The Select Board asked Tim to gather names, price, and the process of several search firms. The Select Board will review that information and determine if we should move forward with a search firm, and if so, which one.”
