Public interviews for Longmeadow town manager candidates slated for Jan. 24
Date: 1/23/2013
By Chris Maza
chrism@thereminder.comLONGMEADOW — The Longmeadow Select Board and Acting Town Manager Barry Del Castilho will conduct private interviews with three finalists for the vacant town manager position today, Jan. 23, and public interviews on Jan. 24.
The hiring process was originally slated to include private interviews at Town Hall from 2 to 4 p.m., followed by public sessions in the Police Station Conference Room broadcast on Longmeadow Cable Access Television, starting at 6 p.m. Select Board Vice Chair Mark Gold told
Reminder Publications that "a scheduling issue" forced the postponement of the public session.
Gold further explained that the interview sessions were not posted because there would be no deliberations or decisions made regarding the position. Deliberations and possibly a vote on the candidates will take place at a meeting on Jan. 28 that was scheduled after the board's Jan. 21 meeting at which members discussed the interview process.
Edward Gil Del Rubio, most recently the town manager of Trinidad, Colo., Great Barrington Town Manager Kenneth O'Donnell and Lancaster, Wis., City Administrator Stephen Crane will all speak with the board regarding the position after being selected through Del Castilho's vetting.
Twenty-nine candidates submitted applications for the position, which comes with a salary of $115,000.
In the private sessions, each candidate will meet with one or two selectmen in small group settings, then rotate so all members of the board have the opportunity to meet with each candidate.
This marks the third time the Select Board has tried to fill the town manager position permanently since former Town Manager Robin Crosbie left the town for a position in Ipswich in June, 2012.
The board elected to enter contract negotiations with Thomas Guerino, town administrator of Bourne, but was unable to come to an agreement. After a second round of interviews, the board unanimously chose Bonnie Therrien, who previously served as town manager for the Connecticut towns of Hebron and Weathersfield, however she accepted a position with another community before negotiations were concluded.
