South Hadley seeks help finding new town administrator
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SOUTH HADLEY - The Select Board will reach out to experts for advice on how to conduct a search for a new town administrator.
The board met Tuesday at Town Hall to discuss how to proceed in finding a replacement for former administrator Paul Beecher, who resigned abruptly Jan. 20.
No reason was given for his departure, a year short of the end of his three-year contract and without the required notice of 60 days. Jennifer Wolowicz, chief personnel officer and procurement officer, took over Jan. 25 as acting administrator.
Select Board members have declined to publicly discuss Beecher's reasons for leaving, saying they want to protect his privacy.
On Tuesday, board members agreed to ask officials from the Hampshire Council of Governments and the Collins Center for Public Management at the University of Massachusetts Boston to make informal presentations on the most effective way to find a new town administrator.
"Quite frankly, we haven't done that well on our own," said board member John Hine, who said he favors using a professional recruiter to screen candidates.
Board member Frank De Toma said elected officials whom he met at a recent Massachusetts Municipal Association event advised him that South Hadley needs expert guidance through the administrator search process.
"They recommended highly that we get professional help," he said.
Board Chairman Robert Judge said he called the Collins Center and spoke to former Amherst Town Administrator Barry Del Castilho, who has served as an interim town administrator in South Hadley and a consultant to Fire District 1. Del Castilho is an associate member of the Collins Center.
Judge said Del Castilho might be a candidate to return as interim administrator. Del Castilho was interim town administrator in South Hadley from December 2007 to July 2008 and then returned in November 2008 when administrator Michael Szlosek resigned after just three months on the job.
He remained until Beecher was hired in January 2010. Del Castilho assisted Wilbraham officials in their search for a new administrator in September.
The board will also invite Diana Schindler, director of regional services and planning for the Council of Governments, to detail the services her organization can offer in the administrator search. She is a former town administrator in Southampton.
"They can tell us anything they want to," said Judge. "We'll be all ears."
