By Beth David, Editor
At its meeting on Monday, 11/4/24, the Fairhaven Select Board discussed the procedure for filling the Town Administrator position on an interim basis and permanently.
Assistant Town Administrator of Finance/Town Accountant, Anne Carreiro, is the acting TA in the absence of the TA, but Ms. Carreiro is going on vacation from 11/7 to 11/14, so the board had to get a little creative to fill the gap.
But the board also wanted to do more to help Ms. Carreiro until an Interim TA can be chosen.
At the outset, Ms. Carreiro made it clear she had no interest in becoming the TA or acting as Interim TA.
SB chairperson Stasia Powers said that after hearing from Town Counsel, the suggestion was to assign a board member, or two, to work with staff to “move things forward,” and support staff during the transition.
The board voted for SB member Charles Murphy to be that liaison between the board and staff, and to work with Ms. Carreiro to keep things working smoothly while the search is on. He will not receive payment for the role.
The board also voted to create a three-person subcommittee to choose an Interim TA. They will discuss the process for choosing a permanent TA at their next meeting on Tuesday, 11/12.
Both Mr. Murphy and Ms. Powers noted that there have been lots of rumors going around, and both stressed that they are, indeed, rumors.
Ms. Powers said the board will work hard to support Ms. Carreiro and staff moving forward.
In his role as liaison, Mr. Murphy will meet with department heads and then staff to listen to their concerns and find out what they need.
He will also be acting TA when Ms. Carreiro is not available.
Board member Keith Silvia suggested that Public Works Superintendent Vinnie Furtado be the person to act as TA, but Ms. Powers said it needed to be someone on the Select Board.
Board member Andrew Saunders weighed in saying that with his understanding of the TA Act, it is logical that the responsibility would be with the SB.
The board also discussed the possibility of choosing an in-house person to be the Interim. Mr. Murphy said the board should address it with staff.
Just before the vote, Mr. Murphy and the board clarified his role. He will meet with staff to see if someone is interested in serving as the Interim TA, and to assess the immediate needs of the week. He will also be authorized to sign documents as the acting TA if there is an immediate need while Ms. Carreiro is on vacation.
“I don’t have to do her job?” joked Mr. Murphy.
The board also voted on two of the three members for the committee to choose the Interim TA. Ms. Carreiro and Mr. Saunders will be on that committee.
Ms. Powers said she would like Town Moderator Mark Sylvia to be the third person, but he if he gets elected state representative, he would probably not be able to serve on the committee.
So the board decided to ask members of the public to apply to be on that committee. (See link below).
The committee will review the applications and recommend candidates for interviews with the SB although it was unclear how many candidates the board wanted to interview.
The board also briefly discussed posting a job description for the Interim TA, with Ms. Powers saying she wanted to ask for a “seasoned professional.”
Mr. Saunders, however, said he had concerns with limiting the candidates who might apply. He said they can use that preference to make a decision, but he said it might prevent a good candidate from applying.
The board decided to put a link to the TA Act on the application page.
The board also approved the minutes to the Executive Sessions on 9/30/14 and 10/14/24.
For Search Committee
INTERIM TOWN ADMINISTRATOR SEARCH COMMITTEE VOLUNTEER
The Select Board is seeking volunteer applications to appoint one individual to take part in the initial search committee with Assistant Town Administrator of Finance Anne Carreiro and Select Board Clerk Andrew B. Saunders to review the applications for the Interim Town Administrator position. The deadline for search committee applications is NOON on Tuesday, November 12, 2024.
To submit a volunteer application to be considered for the initial Interim Town Administrator search committee click https://www.fairhaven-ma.gov/select-board/webforms/board-and-committee-volunteer-application and include “Interim TA search committee” under What Board(s) or Committee(s) are you interested in joining? What is your reason for joining?
If you have questions, please feel free to contact Amy Hart at 508-979-4023, Ext. 8101 or via email ahart@fairhaven-ma.gov
For Interim TA
The Select Board is accepting cover letters and resumes for an Interim Town Administrator.
To submit a cover letter and resume for Interim Town Administrator click https://www.fairhaven-ma.gov/user/49/contact and include “Interim TA submission” as the subject
Link to the Town Administrator Special Act: https://ecode360.com/FA1596/search?query=A502-6&scope=all&sortOrder=relevance
•••
Click here to download the 11-07-24 issue: 11-07-24 Election
Support local journalism, donate to the Neighb News with PayPal
