By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD – The Town Council last night named the seven members of the screening committee that will help determine the short list of candidates to be the next Town Administrator. The committee will include School Superintendent Doug Lyons, Assistant Town Administrator/Chief Financial Officer Kevin Gill, Finance Committee member Dan Sherman, DPW Business Manager Ann Waitt, former Selectman Eugene Sullivan, Environmental Sustainability Chair Tiana Veldwisch and Emily Rivera, a human resources professional.
The screening committee will work with Community Paradigm Associates, the executive search firm that the Town Council has retained to help identify and recruit qualified candidates to replace Stephen P. Maio. After 17 years as Wakefield’s Town Administrator, Maio will retire in July.
It is expected that the screening committee process will result in three finalists being recommended to the Town Council, which will ultimately choose the next Town Administrator.
The Town Council had agreed at an earlier meeting on two members who would serve on screening committee due to their key roles in town government. They were School Superintendent Doug Lyons and Assistant Town Administrator/Chief Financial Officer Kevin Gill.
The board had also previously decided that two additional members of the screening committee would be chosen from town employees or those serving on town boards and committees.
The final three slots were to be filled by members of the public. Residents interested in serving on the screening committee were asked to submit their names. The Council received about 20 responses from interested citizens.
At an earlier meeting, Town Council members were each asked to submit two names to fill the town employee/town committee member slots.
Because multiple Town Councilors had named DPW Business manager Ann Waitt and Finance Committee member Daniel Sherman, the board agreed with Councilor Jonathan Chines’ motion to appoint Sherman and Waitt to those two slots on the screening committee.
The method for choosing the three members of the public was more involved. Town Council Chair Mehreen Butt asked each member to list their top five picks.
That process resulted in Environmental Sustainability Chair Tiana Veldwisch of West Water Street and Emily Rivera of Summer Street, a human resources professional, receiving five votes each.
Finishing with four votes was Laura Felch of Elm Street, whose professional background includes over a decade of experience in higher education admissions and recruitment.
With three votes each were former selectman Eugene Sullivan, human resources professional Maureen Marquis and former Town Councilor Julie Smith-Galvin.
Advisory Board of Public Works Chair Christopher Tarr and Christine Rioux got two votes each.
Garnering one vote each were Steve Magoon and former Town Moderator John Harrington.
Because Rivera and Veldwisch each received five votes, the Town Council agreed that they would serve on the screening committee.
But rather than assigning the final slot to Felch, who got four votes, the Town Council decided to do another round of voting and include the candidates with three votes. This time, board members were asked to pick two names from the list of Felch, Sullivan, Smith-Galvin and Marquis.
Sullivan was the top vote-getter in that round of voting, securing the final position on the screening committee.