Adams Selectmen Put Residency Requirement in Administrator Ad
ADAMS, Mass. — The Town Administrator Search Committee meets Tuesday night at 6:30 to organize its goals and procedures.
The Selectmen already have some ideas of what the successful candidate should have — including an Adams address.
Board members last week agreed they would rather have a town leader living in town but weren't ready to commit to advertising the post with a residential requirement since some members were open to residence in a nearby community.
Selectman Jeffrey Snoonian felt non-residency would be an extreme case, although, he thought the town should have the ability to draw more candidates and have flexibility if a really good candidate was found.
"Someone would have to make a pretty convincing argument to me for me to waive their residency requirement … if it gives us 10 or 11 more candidates I think it’s worth it," he said. "I'd hate to have someone move a half a mile over the Cheshire line just to buy a house in Adams to be the town administrator; I wouldn’t mind leaving the door open a crack."
Nowak and Blanchard agreed residency should be an absolute requirement because otherwise the decisions the town administrator makes - such as taxes and negotiations — would not affect them.
"I would really think that this person should be a town resident so they can feel with the people and be out on the street and talk to them," Nowak said. "I just don't want them to be a figure that comes to work and leaves and goes to their own community; they should feel what the people feel in this community."
The town charter states a town administrator must move to Adams within a year, unless the Selectmen say otherwise.
Adams has never had a town administrator who has not lived in town.
The board agreed to send out the advertisement with a residency requirement, but they would be willing to change it if there was a lack of candidates.
The town hopes to have a new town administrator by early next year after current Town Administrator Jonathan Butler took a post with the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce.
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