Dalton Offers Town Manager Post to Connecticut Administrator
DALTON, Mass. — The Select Board voted to hire Eric Anderson as its new town manager during its Tuesday meeting.
Of the 22 applications received, the Town Manager Screening Committee put forward three finalists: Anderson, Lisa Blackmer, and Jonathan Elwell.
The night before, the board interviewed the three candidates during a meeting that lasted nearly 3 1/2 hours.
The decision to offer the post to Anderson was unanimous among the four board members present, after a brief discussion.
Although the town's lawyers said it was Ok for board member Marc Strout to be part of the decision, he decided to recuse himself because of his relationship with Police Chief Deanna Strout.
The board emphasized that all the candidates were highly qualified; however, Anderson's well-researched answers and prior experience that aligned with the town's issues stood out.
Chair Robert Bishop said he received phone calls from residents expressing their belief that Anderson was the right choice for the job.
Select Board member John Boyle also received feedback from residents, with a dozen emails expressing their belief that "Anderson was, is, by far, hands down the best choice. So, there's a real vote of confidence."
Anderson has six years of experience as the town administrator of his hometown, Andover, Conn., which has a population of about 3,200 residents and a select board form of government.
During his hour-long interview, he said Dalton is a desirable community with natural resources, such as the Appalachian Trail, a good partnership with the recreation facilities, and good quality of life.
"First of all, from an outsider, it seems like a really desirable community. Frankly, that's why I applied here and not elsewhere, because I drove through here and I thought this was a community I want to live in," Anderson said.
Although he identified the town's greatest resources, he acknowledged the challenges including an aging population, and a struggle to maintain affordability.
"The first thing you're going to have to do is you're going to have to really aggressively go after grant funding, because no town today can afford to pay all its own bills without state and federal assistance," he said.
This is something he focused greatly on in his position in Andover. He understood that obtaining grants is not a quick process; it requires persistence, a clear understanding of the objectives, establishing personal connections, and maintaining resilience in the face of rejections to achieve your goals.
During his tenure at Andover, Anderson said he was able to obtain just over $15 million in funding with an operating capital budget of $4 million, not including schools.
"I think I'm persistent, and I refuse to be outworked. You know, this is not a 9-to-5 job. It never has been and I think the smaller the town, the harder you need to work," he said.
Anderson emphasized the importance of communication and teamwork with department heads through informal conversations. Additionally, during times of conflicts between staff or issues within town frank discussions are necessary.
It was demonstrated that Anderson has experience dealing with circumstances similar to what Dalton is currently facing, including the concerns over Berkshire Concrete's mining operations and the discussions surrounding a new police facility stemming from the current facility's deteriorating condition.
In Andover, Anderson dealt with a similar dispute between residents and a gravel mining operation, which the town is actively in the process of suing.
"We tried very hard to get them to conform without lawyering up but in the end that is what it's taking," he said.
Anderson demonstrated the research he has conducted on Dalton's dispute, and referenced the state Department of Health decision that the dust is considered a nuisance and not a health hazard.
Boyle especially appreciated Anderson's commitment to research and his prior experience in addressing the issue the town has been navigating for the past 10 months.
"First thing is, silica exposure is a known environmental hazard, and it's definitely something [The Occupational Safety and Health Administration] should be aware of. So, I think monitoring and understanding how much silica is being produced and what the actual dust is and what the particle sizes are is kind of crucial," Anderson said.
"You really want to make sure you're not putting lots of airborne stuff in that one to five micron range, that's really dangerous."
The town will have to sit with the company to come to a satisfactory resolution to get Berkshire Concrete to cooperate.
Anderson highlighted how Berkshire Concrete's gravel operation is by special permit, so the town does have some teeth, especially in negotiating with the company to set requirements such as air monitoring.
The town will have to work closely with its attorney to abide by state law, he said.
He also demonstrated his experience spearheading the condemnation of his town's old Community Center due to mold issues.
Blackmer discussed her 40-year residency in Berkshire County and her connection to local state representatives and community organizations. She highlighted how she is already a certified public procurement office, which is something the town manager will need to get.
"I think she's very knowledgeable, and I think she could get the job done given her experience. She understands small towns, she understands Western Massachusetts, she understands Massachusetts politics, and she has a lot of personal connections so those are all positives in terms of Lisa being appointed to the position," Select Board member Antonio "Tony" Pagliarulo.
Vice Chair Daniel Esko said he was very impressed with Blackmer's experience in collective bargaining, union negotiations, and financial experience.
She identified the people, whether its the residents, volunteers, and local businesses as the key assets in the community.
Blackmer referenced the governor's legislation adding $100 million to Chapter 90 funds that are specifically focused on rural aid.
"We need to make sure that we get our share of that," she said while acknowledging the challenge of this due to the uncertainty at the state level.
When it comes to budgeting, she expressed the importance of looking at the historical data while also anticipating the town's future needs. This aligned with her belief of small communities needing a plan to find ways to save money. For example, regionalization, or incentivizing healthier behaviors to help lower insurance costs.
"I thought she had some good ideas and how we can leverage grant funding to help with that. She's very strong candidate," Esko said.
Like the other two candidates, Elwell identified the area's natural landscape as one of its assets and suggested this can be levied as a potential economic booster through eco-tourism.
The financial challenges the community is facing, including a shrinking population and tax base could be addressed through grants and creative solutions, he said.
The town's high public engagement as a community asset, which is really important especially with recent times and nations history, Elwell said.
"Residents are a really big asset in this community. I can tell that they want to be involved in that they want to see things happen in this community, and they're willing to pitch in and get their hands dirty to try and see the change here," he said.
Pagliarulo said Elwell, who is also finalist for Great Barrington town manager, was very well spoken and had a wide range of management experience and was impressed with his background in union negotiations.
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