Dalton Picks former FinComm Chair as Interim Town Manager
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Matthew Castriotta, left, over Zoom, and H. Terry Williams III were interviewed on Monday night for the interim post.
The four board members interviewed the two candidates for the interim position — Williams and Matthew Castriotta of Hubbardston.
Select Board member Marc Strout recused himself from the vote because his wife is the police chief, and the town manager is her direct supervisor.
All the board members agreed that it was a tough decision, given the two men's municipal experience serving on committees in their respective towns. However, the board selected Williams because of his immediate availability and familiarity with Dalton.
Williams' roots here extend deep. He served on the Finance Committee for 31 years and was chair from 1990 until 2018.
"The best way to know the town is by joining the Finance Committee," he said.
During the interview, he name-dropped several past and current department heads and committee members he has worked alongside.
These included former longtime Town Manager Kenneth Walto, with whom he created a five-year plan for capital projects and expressed that the current year is the most critical.
Over the years, he witnessed and helped transition several changes in Dalton, including to a town manager form of government, the expansion of the board from three to five members, technological advancements, and more.
He also demonstrated his experience at the DOR's Division of Local Services, where he oversaw municipal finances for multiple towns for nearly 20 years as a field accountant. Prior to that, he worked for the former Beloit Corp. for many years.
In this career, he assisted cities and towns with accounting, auditing, budgeting, and treasury management.
He shared an experience from his time with DOR, in which he was tasked with resolving a conflict during a special town meeting because the town's purchase of a large item exceeded its Proposition 2 1/2 levy limit, requiring a change in the vote to authorize a debt.
Williams highlighted how local government is the closest form of government to the constituents.
Unlike the federal and state governments, when you pay your taxes, it's not entirely known how it is used, he said.
With local government, residents participate in town meetings, budgeting, and decision-making, and their voices are heard.
"I would say, in this position, and a constituent calls or a voter or a town resident and they have a problem, I'm prepared to be there immediately and work the best I can to remedy the situation," Williams said.
Williams said he is available to start working in a town manager capacity as soon as the beginning of next week, but cautioned that he has booked flights in October to Austin, where he owns a home, to return in November.
Although a trip to Texas is his intention, Williams said he would be willing to amend his plans or work remotely.
Williams said one of the first things he would do in this role is interview all the department heads and emphasized how he also sees the role as an agent to the Select Board.
Board members felt that his familiarity with the town's financial operations and departments
makes him well-suited for the interim role.
"I noticed that the job posting mentioned that this interim position could also transfer into permanency. Truthfully, I'm not interested in a permanent position," Williams said.
Castriotta was interested in the permanent position. Like Williams, Castriotta also lacked experience as a town manager; rather, the position would serve as a career change after retiring from public education after 32 years.
In addition to education, Castriotta served on several municipal boards and committees in Hubbardston and with the state, including the Select Board from 1999 to 2014, chairing for eight years.
As a selectman, he highlighted how he helped create new financial policies, a new town charter, and navigated financial and staffing issues and hires. Additionally, he has a background in corporate finance and sales.
Castriotta expressed interest in the additional training and demonstrated that, a couple of months ago, he had taken an online grant writing class to become more familiar with the town manager role.
The retired teacher said he would not need health insurance, and because of state pension laws, the amount he can earn is limited, which could potentially save the town between $50,000 and $70,000.
Castriotta also indicated that if hired, he would live in the area part time, by renting rooms or staying in a hotel in Dalton or Pittsfield, given the commute is about an hour to and hour and a half from his current location
"I did see that [the town operates] Monday through Thursday. I would certainly, especially the nights that there are meetings, I would just stay over in Dalton or Pittsfield, or someplace close," Castriotta said.
He noted the commute is about one hour to 90 minutes hours from his current location. He also mentioned that the town recently rescinded the requirement for a town manager to live in town, which makes his part-time local presence acceptable.
Williams' connection and knowledge of the town and immediate availability set him above Castriotta; however, board member John Boyle said he hopes the town manager screening committee takes Castriotta's application for the permanent position seriously.
Select Board Chair Robert Bishop raised the possibility that if Castriotta is still interested in the position in October, when Williams leaves for Austin, he might be able to assume the position then.
Tags: candidate interviews, interim appointment, town administrator,
