Adams Asks Ketcham to Stay
ADAMS, Mass. — In a striking turnabout, the Selectmen unanimously offered Town Administrator William F. Ketcham a new three-year contract on Wednesday night.
Ketcham had been repeatedly criticized for his performance last year and had given notice in April that he'd be leaving Adams at the end of his contract in November. He had been actively seeking another position.
The decision to ask him to stay came down to cost and experience. The town was expecting to spend around $20,000 in the search for a new town manager who would likely have little or no knowledge about Adams or its needs. That, and a change in the makeup of the board, apparently led the Selectmen to decide Ketcham wasn't so bad after all. In lieu of an annual evaluation, the board asked him to stay with little discussion.
"I think we're all in agreement that the current town administrator is serving us well, consequently, I move that we offer the town administrator a three-year contract, with the chairman and the town counsel to work out the details of employment," said Selectman Donald Sommer about halfway through Wednesday's meeting. His motion was quickly seconded, then approved by all four board members.
"A wise, wise decision — I commend you," called out Rosemarie Stachura, a member of the search committee who was in the audience. "You've got a good man there and I'm glad you realize it."
Chairman Joseph R. Dean Jr. said he had approached Ketcham about staying on the job earlier in the day, and had received a positive response. After the meeting, Ketcham signaled that his sometime rocky relationship with the board may have changed for the better.
"Well, several board members came and spoke to me, and I've made a lot of very positive relationships. I like Adams and I'm very glad to have this chance to continue serving the town," he said.
Back in February, Ketcham had borne the brunt of a blistering evaluation that found fault with his decisiveness, communication skills, leadership and control of department heads. However, the board rated him as "fully competent" and gave him $1,500 raise, bringing his salary to $85,000.
Since then, Sommer was elected to the board, replacing Edward Driscoll, and Myra Wilk, the lone no vote on his raise, stepped down in June. Solomon recently completed his first year on the board. (The fourth member is Edward MacDonald; the board is currently one member short until Wilk can be replaced in the next town election.)
Dean said after the meeting that the new board members, particularly Sommer, had found Ketcham knowledgeable and helpful.
"He's already established he knows the routine, he's got a lot of irons in the fire right here, right now that he's handling," said Dean, adding that Ketcham's friendship with Jones Block developer Gerardo "Gerry" Sanchez was a plus.
Ketcham was hired in 2004 after the prior administrator, William Sheridan, resigned after less than a year on the job because of a health condition. Ketcham was the town's third choice after one candidate was discovered negotiating with another town and a second turned the job down.
The town still has to hammer out a new contract with the administrator and there's no guarantee the next three years will be less rocky than the past three. But the relationship between board and administrator seems to be improving.
"Mr. Ketcham, you've done well this year," Dean said.
Tags: contract, evaluation, town administrator,
