Adams Selectmen Confident of Search Committee Ability
 Chairman Arthur 'Skip' Harrington, left, and Selectman Jeffrey Snoonian said they had confidence in the Town Administrator Search Committee. |
ADAMS, Mass. — Five applicants have already applied for the town administrator position.
The Selectmen, meanwhile, are still reviewing the criteria and attributes for the search committee in charge of finding a new town administrator to replace Jonathan Butler, who will head the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce.
The search committee will eventually narrow all applicants down to three.
Selectman Jeffrey Snoonian said he is confident that the three finalists the committee chooses will be the best candidates.
"I have all the confidence with them and when they pick three people, no questions asked, they will be the three people," Snoonian said. "I have 100 percent confidence that those will be the best three people for the job, no doubt in my mind."
The search committee had asked for feedback from the selectmen with the compiled list of attributes and criteria, however, the selectmen felt as though the list they came up with was fine as is.
"They are coming along very well, and they are moving forward," Chairman Arthur "Skip" Harrington said. "They are dealing with a lot of minutia, and they are very detailed and very careful."
The criteria list is organized into five sections: Business and management, budgeting and finance, communication qualities, relationship qualities, and personal qualities.
Selectman Richard Blanchard was confident with the search committee's work, but asked that it make one small addition to the communication section.
He asked that they add whether solicited or not, the town administrator will keep the Board of Selectmen informed on all pertinent information regarding the town.
The Selectmen wrote in the suggestion.
Selectman Joseph Nowak said he liked the list as is and felt too much alteration would only complicate things.
"I think you can analyze and put things together until you are blue in the face, but it can't be perfect," Nowak said. "Looking at all the criteria here, I think it gets more cumbersome when you mix more things into the mix; it's just difficult because there is no standard ... in this job, in some respect, you have to be a jack of all trades."
With Butler's last day approaching in late August, Community Development Director Donna Cesan will fill in as the interim town administrator.
Although the town will have an active town administrator, the Selectmen would like to get the process moving as soon as possible.
"I am anxious to get these people going, and the sooner they get disconnected from us ... the better," Snoonian said. "We have a great search committee, and I have all the trust in them in the world."
Next, the Selectmen must overhaul the town administrator job description and update it by request of the search committee.
Harrington said this will be done on a later date within the month.
"There is plenty to do between now and then, and they have plenty to do without these documents, but they will have this for their next meeting," he said.
Tags: search committee, town administrator,
