Longtime Easthampton City Planner Stuart Beckley was named town manager in Ware on Tuesday night.

Following a public interview, the Select Board voted unanimously to hire Beckley. Members say they hope to meet with him later this week to negotiate a contract, including the key issues of a start date and a salary.

"It sounds like it's going to be a good fit," said Select Board member Richard A. Norton, when reached at home Tuesday following the board's meeting. "He went through some very extensive vetting through the town manager screening committee. We decided to go with the recommendation of the committee to hire him."

Reached at his home in Sunderland on Tuesday, Beckley, 50, said he was pleased about being offered the job in Ware. "It's an exciting opportunity," he said. "It will be quite a challenge."

Kathleen Coulombe, chairwoman of the town manager search committee, said last week that members were impressed with Beckley's 22-year track record in Easthampton and his approach to issues in Ware. Coulombe did not attend Tuesday's Select Board meeting.

The town manager's job has been vacant since Mary Tzambazakis, who earned $98,000 annually, resigned on Sept. 30.

Beckley was one of three finalists the search committee chose from a pool of 28 applicants. He said his first priority in his new post will be reviewing the town budget "and starting to work with the departments, catching up on all of their planning."

During Tuesday's 45-minute interview, Beckley said he was asked several questions about town financial issues. "We talked a good deal about the financial stresses the community is facing and how I would work in that environment," he said.

A native of southern New Hampshire, Beckley said he earned a bachelor's degree from Clarkson College in New York and a master's in regional planning from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst in 1989.

That was also the year he was first hired in Easthampton as town planner. During his tenure with the city, Beckley also served as acting town administrator in both 1992 and 1995. He said he earns close to $63,000 annually as city planner.