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Date: 11/7/2023
PALMER — The Palmer Town Council appointed Police Chief Christopher Burns as acting town manager during its Oct. 30 meeting.
This appointment comes after Ryan McNutt resigned from his position as town manager on Oct. 26.
Burns took on the role, effective Oct. 31, and was expected to operate in that capacity for two weeks, Town Council President Barbara Barry said, also noting he will not receive extra compensation. She explained that Burns will only be required to take on specific tasks, rather than the responsibilities of the entire position.
“This would not be all the duties of a town manager, but basically someone who is just going to make sure that items are addressed that need to be addressed that are time critical,” Barry stated.
The town did not announce a reason for McNutt’s departure, with the Town Council only stating it was a “personal matter.” The separation agreement also includes a “Mutual Nondisparagement” clause which prevents both McNutt and the Town Council from making negative statements about the opposite party.
The Town Council was initially scheduled to meet with McNutt on Oct. 18 for a working meeting, but that meeting was canceled. In its place, an Oct. 18 executive session agenda was posted on Oct. 16 and amended on Oct. 17. The first item on the executive session agenda was “to discuss the reputation, character, physical condition or mental health, rather than professional competence, of an individual, or discuss the discipline or dismissal of, or complaints or charges brought against, a public officer, employee, staff member or individual.”
The second item was “to conduct strategy sessions in preparation for negotiations with nonunion personnel or to conduct collective bargaining sessions or contract negotiations with nonunion personnel,” specifying McNutt as that personnel member.
After finalizing the separation agreement, the Town Council agreed to pay McNutt just over $70,000 at the time of his resignation with $55,050.38 from 4 ½ months of pay and $15,174.70 from accrued vacation time, Barry explained.
Residents expressed varied reactions to McNutt’s resignation during the meeting’s public comment. Resident Chris Smith thanked McNutt for his work and stated that he was “handed a plate of disarray” when he accepted the position in 2019. Resident Roger Fortune spoke negatively of the council’s decisions, arguing that McNutt should not be paid with tax money to resign since “taxes keep going up.”
To locate an interim town manager, the council decided to post an advertisement on the Massachusetts Municipal Association website, the Palmer town website, and the town’s Facebook page during Burns’ two weeks as acting town manager. After this period, the council will select from the applicants, Barry said.
The council also discussed the process of selecting a new town manager, including whether to hire a consultant to assist with narrowing applicants.
Town Council Vice President Jessica Sizer supported using a consultant. “I believe it’s in the best interest of the community,” she said. “It is quite a bit of work that goes into finding these folks, going through their resumes, applications and then checking references and all of that.” Sizer also highlighted that third parties will remove any possible influence from bias.
District 1 Councilor Philip Hebert spoke against the use of a consultant, stating that the town has previously chosen a manager and could do so again. He also advocated for the position to be filled by a Palmer resident.
The council ultimately voted in favor of using a consultant, specifically the Edward J. Collins, Jr. Center for Public Management, to assist with the executive search. All members voted in favor of these decisions, except Hebert who voted against a consultant and abstained from the second vote.