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Date: 6/2/2022
EAST LONGMEADOW – Two candidates were interviewed by the Town Council on May 31 for the town manager position that will soon be vacated by Mary McNally, and while both proved to be strong in the eyes of the council, Ronald San Angelo was ultimately selected in a unanimous vote for the position, pending contract negotiations.
Both Michael Szlosek, of Ludlow, and San Angelo, of Holland, were interviewed individually for just over 45 minutes each, with councilors going around the table asking the same questions to both candidates. Questions involved how the candidates transitioned from job to job, what they feel is the greatest challenge ahead for East Longmeadow, what their 30-, 60- and 90-day plans would be should they be hired, and more.
San Angelo has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Central Connecticut State University. He is a certified project management professional from the Project Management institute, and an MCPPO certified purchasing agent from the State of Massachusetts. In his professional career, he has worked for the Town of Naugatuck as the mayor, worked for the Connecticut Department of Information Technology as a project manager, was town administrator for the town of Hanson, was the town manager for the town of Southbridge from 2015 through 2020, and most recently was the town administrator for the town of Rutland from 2020 to date.
Szlosek holds a law degree from Boston University School of Law, has a Master of Business Administration in Finance from the Isenberg School of Business at Umass Amherst, and a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature, also from UMass. In his professional career, Szlosek has worked as an owner of a private practice of law, as a municipal hearings officer for the town of Ludlow, as a town administrator in South Hadley, as a town manager in Athol, a town adminsitrator in Sterling, and from 2016 to present has been the business operations manager in public works for Enfield, CT.
When asked to share one adjective that described themselves, Szlosek described himself as “thorough,” while San Angelo described himself as “strong.”
Szlosek explained his adjective, sharing that he recently heard a former employee of his from several years ago was arrested and going to jail for embezzlement after creating a fake company and paying out invoices through the town this took place in. Szlosek said this employee did not commit the crimes while he was the employees’ boss, because as a practice, Szlosek would look at every invoice, and would ask questions. He said the crimes began after he left his position with the town. He noted this invoice process might be too “in the weeds” for some, but this practice would pay off, as people would know he was paying attention.
San Angelo explained his adjective, stating that he likes to “get things done,” and works to be a strong leader. He said he is not afraid to make tough decisions.
When asked about economic development, San Angelo shared that while the initial thought when it comes to development would be attracting new businesses, he said he likes to foster relationships with current business owners in town and encourage them to expand. He shared that creating a relationship with the business community can be beneficial, as business owners can be “the best salespeople” for the town to get new businesses involved.
Regarding the same question, Szlosek replied that the community can focus on maintaining what they have. He referenced how the town could get chains or big box stores but recognized that this isn’t what the community wants – the focus is on “local” and “unique.”
Both candidates shared desires to have department head meetings and one-on-one meetings with town employees throughout their potential tenures, especially in the first several months. Additionally, both highlighted how they would communicate with not only the council but also the community. San Angelo shared how he had a program with Southbridge’s public access television when he worked for the community, and that he would be interested in doing something similar to reach residents.
Town Council President Michael Kane asked about San Angelo’s approach to finance and budgeting. San Angelo stated, “I’m a fiscal conservative by trade – and I want to be really clear what that means to me. Fiscally conservative means you spend money wisely. It also means you invest in your community and you make sure you’re getting a good return for your investment. It doesn’t mean ‘just don’t spend money.’” He then added that he has worked in towns where they do not spend money on their buildings and let them “rot.” He indicated that those towns thought they were being conservative, however he countered “that’s being foolish in my mind.”
“You let your assets go and deteriorate, it’s going to cost you so much more to eventually have to fix them, and frankly the people get bad service out of those buildings. I really think that’s wrong. I want to make sure our assets and our physical structure are in good shape,” he said.
After both candidates had left, the council took time to share many positive remarks about both Szlosek and San Angelo.
Kane stated he liked that Szlosek is an attorney, and that he appreciated how Szlosek viewed the approach of the town’s budget. Szlosek had shared in his interview that he likes to be thorough and create a baseline budget, starting from scratch each year, looking at trends and not simply adding funds to the budget each year. In favor of San Angelo, Kane said he felt San Angelo understood the role of the town manager and was very personable.
Town Council member Sidney Starks shared that he felt both candidates were “exceptional” and that he appreciated San Angelos stance on economic development, and liked Szlosek’s thoroughness.
Praising San Angelo, Town Council member Donald Anderson highlighted his communication skills and noted his eye contact was equal amongst all members of the council. Anderson said he liked that Szlosek is an attorney and did note that the drive from Ludlow to East Longmeadow is quicker than a drive from Holland, referencing the home communities of the candidates.
Council Vice President Ralph Page said that both were very good candidates, and that he had no concerns about the drive from Holland. He said both interviewed exceptionally well, and noted that he liked both adjectives that Szlosek and San Angelo chose to describe themselves as. He said this was a difficult decision.
Another councilor pointed out San Angelo’s communication skills – council member Marilyn Richards said she found online when researching both candidates that San Angelo had a site where he would send messages out to a former community he was working in almost daily, whether it be the weather, a road closure or more, which she was impressed by. She said she wished she could blend the two candidates together.
Council member Kathleen Hill said she was pleased the town had two capable candidates. Once again noting Szlosek’s attorney background, Hill said the town has benefited from McNally’s attorney background over her tenure. She did, however, share her appreciation for San Angelo’s self-described passion for implementing plans and bringing them to fruition.
The final councilor to offer his opinion on the candidates was Connor O’Shea, who also touched on San Angelo’s focus on implementing plans as well as his comment regarding being fiscally conservative not meaning money will not be spent. He too pointed out the benefit of having an attorney for a town manager in Szlosek’s favor, and said he appreciated the frequent communication that Szlosek mentioned having with the council.
At the end of their discussion, each candidate voted in favor of San Angelo. Anderson did however state that this was not a slight to Szlosek, and if an issue arose with San Angelo, he would not hesitate to offer Szlosek the position. All council members agreed.
The interviews of both candidates in their entirety can be viewed on the Town of East Longmeadow’s Facebook page.