By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD – The Town Administrator Search Committee held its first meeting last week to begin a process that will eventually lead to the Town Council’s appointment of a new Town Administrator to replace Stephen P. Maio, who will retire in early July after leading the town for 17 years.
The Search Committee’s inaugural meeting was held in hybrid fashion, with some members in the first floor conference room at Town Hall and others participating remotely via Zoom. Members in attendance were former Selectman Eugene Sullivan, current Assistant Town Administrator Kevin Gill, Finance Committee member Daniel Sherman, School Superintendent Douglas Lyons, DPW Business Manager Ann Waitt, Environmental Sustainability Committee Chair Tiana Veldwisch and Emily Rivera, a Human Resources professional in the private sector.
It is likely to be the only full meeting of the committee that will be held in public session. Future meetings to consider and interview candidates will be held in executive session to protect the identities of candidates who may not wish their current employers to know they are applying. Once the Search Committee settles on the three or four finalists to recommend to the Town Council, those names will be made public.
The Search Committee decided to wait until its next meeting before selecting a chairman, as several members had not yet been sworn in. In the absence of a chairman, John Petrin of the executive search firm Community Paradigm Associates, took charge of the meeting. Community Paradigm was hired by the Town Council to recruit candidates and assist the Search Committee with the screening and interview process. Petrin outlined for the committee what that process would look like.
He said that the Town Administrator position has already been advertised and the deadline for candidates to submit resumes is Monday, June 23.
Petrin said that he anticipates that a total of 15-20 candidates will apply. The screening committee will review all the names and resumes. Ultimately, six or seven of those will be deemed worthy of an interview with the Screening Committee, which will then choose three or four from that short list as finalists. Those finalists will go on to public interviews with the Town Council.
Petrin told the committee that the annual salary being offered for the Town Administrator position is in the range of $225,000. He said that applicants will need to have an understanding of Town Meeting form of municipal government.
He promised to get the names, cover letters and resumes of all applicants to the Search Committee members by June 26. The committee agreed to meet again on July 2, at which time they will narrow the list down to the six or seven candidates that they (the Search Committee) will interview. Those interviews will take place over two days, on July 21 and 22, and will result in three or four finalists to be recommended to the Town Council.
Current Assistant Town Administrator Kevin Gill will bridge the gap between Maio’s retirement and the selection of a new Town Administrator.