ITEM FILE PHOTO
Swampscott Town Hall.
By GAYLA CAWLEY
SWAMPSCOTT — Residents will have to wait about a month longer than expected for a permanent town administrator.
Initially, the Board of Selectmen gave a timeline of a mid-January start date for Swampscott’s next town administrator, after they would have selected a candidate from finalists presented to them from the screening committee on Nov. 2. An offer from the board was expected in mid-November.
But Naomi Dreeben, board chairwoman, said the Town Administrator Screening Committee told her they need more time.
Don Pinkerton, chairman of the five-member screening committee, said the start date for a new administrator is potentially mid-February. He said three finalists will be recommended to selectmen by the beginning of December.
The selectmen will then be in charge of hiring one of the candidates. The person chosen, if he or she accepts the job, would have 90 days notice to give their employer.
Pinkerton said there have been more than 50 applicants. He said the committee decided to do more “due diligence” and bring people in for in-person interviews. Phone interviews were conducted before that.
“We felt it was important to get it right, so we decided to push it back and the selectmen agreed with that,” Pinkerton said. “We’ve got some excellent candidates, some really qualified people, so we just want to make sure we get the right one.”
Pinkerton and Dreeben said that the person selected would potentially be serving the town for a long time, so they felt it was important not to rush the process and be thorough.
Pinkerton said the committee is looking for someone who has a good vision for the town, good leadership skills, and a fair amount of experience with the ability to bring people together.
Dreeben added that the ideal candidate is someone who could take the initiative on the town’s priority projects and will have a lot of energy in terms of follow-through and implementation. She said the person has to be a good communicator and leader. A strong grasp on budgetary processes is also necessary and the candidate has to be able to work with the schools.
Gino Cresta, department of public works director, has been serving as the interim town administrator since mid-October, when former Town Administrator Thomas Younger left for the same job in Stoneham. Town Accountant David Castellarin, who also serves as assistant town administrator, has been in charge of the budget during the interim tenure.
Gayla Cawley can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @GaylaCawley.