CHESHIRE, Mass. — The Selectmen interviewed three candidates for town administrator on Thursday and plan to make a decision next week.

 

The finalists interviewed were Kathleen Degnan, former Pittsfield city solicitor; Alicia Fonash-Willett, assistant town clerk and information technology coordinator for the town of Durham, Conn., and Jennifer Morse, the current town administrator in Ashfield.

 

Each candidate was given roughly 45 minutes and was asked the same 11 questions

 

Degnan was the first to be interviewed and she said she has also worked as the city solicitor for Westfield. She has worked in the private sector but said her real passion lies in the public sector.

 

"The reason why I have pursued a career in government was that you get to work with a lot of different people who are professional and very knowledgeable," she said. "I think municipal officials are the best people to work with."   

 

She said in her role as a city solicitor, she was the head of a small department but also had to work with other city officials and department heads. She said she has negotiated contracts, built budgets, and worked with unions.

 

Degnan said she has a lot of experience with Open Meeting Law and procurement. She said although she does not have direct experience with grant writing, as a city solicitor she was part of the process.

 

She said she does not like to micromanage and prefers to lead with respect and an open line of communication.

 

"Respect. That is the first thing. If you don't respect other employees or departments it is not going to work out," she said. "A leader has to have that skill. I trust people ... you have to listen and accept other people's opinions."

 

Degnan said she has experience with Microsoft Office and other programs used in town and experience with remote meetings.

 

Degnan said she would communicate with residents in whatever way the Selectmen wanted her to. She said her first preference was to work with media partners, but she was not opposed to using social media to disseminate information. 

 

She said she has worked with and is familiar with many local organizations such as Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, Elder Services, Red Cross, and the United Way.

 

She said she likes Cheshire and would be proud to take the position.  

 

"It is small. It is quaint ... there is a big difference between being a mayor and a town administrator. I think that is just the right size," she said. "I would like to do this, and I have the skills ... I have lived in Berkshire County all of my life and Cheshire is just really nice."

 

The position, that has formerly been part time, is budgeted for full time, however, this is contingent on town meeting approval.

 

Degnan said she would take the position in a part-time capacity if the budget did not pass the town meeting.

 

Fonash-Willett was next to be interviewed.

 

"I think being in the town clerk's office, moving into the TA position is a natural progression because everybody from the state level you are dealing with. You are dealing with your boards and commissions, and you have to be available to the residents," she said. "That is why we are here. We are here to serve the residents and give them the best of us."

 

She said she holds a unique dual position in Durham, that is similar in size to Cheshire. She said Durham is also part of a regionalized school district.

 

As an IT coordinator, she helped move Durham's antiquated IT infrastructure into an advanced system. She said she helped improved cybersecurity and set up an IT improvement plan that allowed the town to be proactive with technology instead of reactive, which is often more costly.

 

Fonash-Willett said this work really shined during the pandemic when town departments were forced to work remotely. She said employees had access to everything in town hall via cloud servers from home. She added that calls were able to be directed to their homes.

 

She said there was of course a learning curve to all of this new technology in which she set up training so everyone in town was well versed. She added that in this respect, it was incredibly important to keep moving forward.

 

"I think it is important to keep up that momentum, and I think it is absolute death when government says that is the way we have always done it," she said. "It pains me whenever someone says that to me ... history is very important, but there has to be at least some level of progress. You cant stay in the same place and also be productive and continue to serve the residents."

 

She said she manages this IT budget as well as subsections including a capital IT budget 

 

She said she has worked with many town departments to help address their technology needs. 

 

As for communicating with the public, she said Durham was very active on social media keeping people abreast of what was going on in town. She said, like Cheshire, there were some residents who were hesitant to use social media. She said there were able to find out-of-the-box solutions to this and were even able to help some technology adverse residents utilize it.

 

Fonash-Willett said she did not have direct experience writing grants but worked closely with the finance director to seek out new technology grants. She added she had taken procurement courses in Connecticut, noting this would vary in Massachusetts.

 

She added that she has worked with multiple departments and surrounding communities. She said different governmental bodies need to work together in order to be successful.

 

Fonash-Willett said actually being present in town will not be an issue because as of July she will become a resident with her husband after living in Connecticut for 18 years.

 

"This was just the perfect opportunity for us to move to Cheshire. That is something that we always kind of talked about," she said. "It is such a wonderful town ... I feel like in my 13 years in state and local government I can make big difference in how government serves its residents."

 

Fonash-Willett said she would still take the position if it were part-time but felt the town needed a full-time town administrator to truly move forward.

 

Morse was the final candidate to be interviewed. The longtime Rowe resident said she has always been interested in volunteerism and giving back to her community.

 

"I volunteered throughout my entire childhood and all the way through and someone finally said do you want to be the town clerk. I said sure why not," she said. "I think this is a great opportunity for me."

 

This led to positions on the board of health and then on the select board. Just last year she took up the Ashfield town administrator position, right at the beginning of the pandemic. She said it has been a "roller coaster ride" but by working closely with the Board of Health and other departments, she has been successful.

 

Morse said she does not micromanage and prefers to put her trust in strong capable department heads.

 

"The town has to have good solid department heads. That is what it comes down to," she said. "As a town administrator, I don't micromanage at all. I let the department heads run their departments, and if they need support I get it done for them."

 

She said Ashfield is a small community like Cheshire that is part of a regional school district.

 

Morse said she has learned positive communication skills from years of working as an assessor. She said it also gave her a solid understanding of budgeting which she brought into the town administrator position.

 

She said she was familiar with procurement and has captured over $1 million in various grants for her community.

 

Just as importantly, she said she tracks different grants to make sure the town is reimbursed when they are supposed to be.

 

She said she is familiar with different computer programs that Cheshire relies on. She said she edits the Ashfield website and that the town recently underwent a substantial IT upgrade, much like what Cheshire plans to do.

 

She said she has worked with an IT consulting firm and manages a technology replacement and improvement plan.

 

Morse said Ashfield has a sophisticated communication system and can reach out to large groups of people. She said they also send out community email blasts to keep residents informed. She said this is something she could do in Cheshire.

 

Morse said she would have to familiarize herself with different county organizations and communities but has no issue working collaboratively. 

 

She explained to the selectmen many of her own processes in Ashfield, such as the budget and how closely she worked with the finance committee. She also asked questions herself in regard to different policies and future projects in Cheshire.

 

She said she is most satisfied when residents share their appreciation with her. 

 

"When people thank me or when they smile at me in town hall. When they thank me for what I do or for just picking up the phone," she said. "I love the recognition when I am able to accomplish something and help somebody."

 

Morse said she would no longer consider the position if it was part time.