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Date: 5/5/2021
WILLIAMSBURG – Across two meetings on April 27 and 28, the Williamsburg Board of Selectmen interviewed three candidates for the upcoming town administrator vacancy before voting to enter negotiations with Nicholas Caccamo, a city councilor from Pittsfield.
To start his interview, Caccamo was asked how he felt his role as a Pittsfield city councilor would translate to working as a town administrator.
“I think it is a complementary transition. As a city councilor, I have had to develop working relationships with all city departments, as a legislative body we act as financial oversight. In order to serve the residents of Ward 3, I must constantly be working and connecting with public services. I think that will translate well to an executive management role,” he said.
When asked about how he would learn Williamsburg’s culture, Caccamo said it would take time, but he would want to reach out and meet people.
"With regard to learning the culture, I think that would come over time and with time spent in the community. That feeling is going to develop organically the longer I am in town. I’m a person who is inquisitive by nature, so it is not uncommon for me to meet people and get to know them a bit,” he said.
One of the ways Caccamo said he would help the town during budget season is by providing support to the Finance Committee.
“The Finance Committee is really the sort of advisor for the budget. As a town administrator you have to support that committee by preparing that work, making it understandable, providing technical support and making that process as seamless as possible,” he said.
Following Caccamo’s interview, the board interviewed former Clarksburg Town Administrator Carl McKinney, who said working with town staff on any issue would be important.
“I do not have a crystal ball to all knowingly fix every problem if I do not know the problem, the source, or potential solutions, so I think a good working relationship with town staff is incredibly important,” he said.
For the final interview, the board interviewed Williamsburg’s current Town Clerk, Brenda Lessard, who said she would work with town departments to establish goals.
“I am aware that some departments do have long term goals in place along with some short-term goals. I know that some of them tend to be more lax with that and I know it is important to establish goals, and I would work with them to get those established,” she said.
After conducting interviews on April 27, the board met the next day to discuss the candidates and decide on who to move forward with.
To start the recommendations, board member Dave Mathers said he was in favor of offering the job to Caccamo.
“My pick is Nick; I liked his answers about learning the departments and the ability to go out and get to work. I got the impression from Nick he wanted to jump in, start, and really apply himself,” he said.
Board member Denise Banister said her first choice for the job was Lessard.
“I kind of feel more comfortable going with the known commodity. We know Brenda, we know what she is capable of, I think she is capable of a lot, and I think she could do a good job as administrator,” she said.
To round out the recommendations, Board of Selectmen Chair Bill Sayre said Caccamo was also his first pick for the job.
“My first pick would be Nick. Nick to me can learn everything that needs to be learned, the skills needed to build relationships in town, the willingness to learn the culture of our town, and the energy to take on all the education needed. While his experience level is not what I had hoped for, he has all the raw material and enthusiasm to learn,” he said. “It is a bit of a risk in my mind because of no direct experience as a town administrator, but I am banking he’ll be able to learn those ropes pretty quickly.”
With little discussion, the board unanimously voted to offer the town administrator position to Caccamo pending contract negotiations.