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Date: 11/27/2023
PALMER — At its Nov. 16 meeting, the Palmer Town Council voted to hire Robert Reed as the interim town manager, pending the negotiation of his contract.
The decision came after the council interviewed three finalists for the position — Charlie Blanchard, Reed and Michael Szlosek. Richard White was also scheduled to interview but withdrew prior to the meeting.
Palmer first began looking for an interim town manager after previous Town Manager Ryan McNutt resigned on Oct. 26. After reviewing applicants, the council chose four finalists to interview for the position.
While answering the council’s questions, candidates discussed a variety of topics including how to foster relationships with town staff, how to best inform residents, the role of an interim and each candidate’s approach to budgeting.
After speaking with the candidates, the council discussed aspects of the interviews that stood out to them, with most of the members highlighting observations about Reed.
Since 1984, Reed has held several positions as a full-time town administrator as well as a town executive and administrative assistant, according to his resume available online. After retiring in 2014, he has worked as an interim town manager for Southbridge and Upton. He also worked as an interim town administrator for Princeton, Rutland, Hopedale, Sturbridge and Northborough.
During his interview, Reed discussed how important it was “that people feel valued” and stated that he preferred to regularly interact with town staff, rather than only on a monthly basis.
“It’s very important that the department heads feel like they can come and talk to me,” Reed said. He explained that he would use an open-door policy for staff as well as residents in order to encourage open communication.
When asked how he would establish trust, Reed stated, “You earn it. You just don’t walk in and expect it or get it because you’re town manager. You get it because you earn it.”
In addition to Reed’s management style, the council also agreed that Reed would be a good interim town manager because he could provide a new perspective to the town’s procedures and assist with making needed changes before the permanent town manager was hired.
While Reed stated that he could begin his role by Nov. 20, the council did not set an official date for Reed to start.
Consultant for town manager search
At the meeting, the council also interviewed Community Paradigm Associates as a possible consultant to assist with the search for a permanent town manager. This was the second recruiting firm that the council interviewed, as members met with Edward J. Collins, Jr. Center for Public Management at the board’s Nov. 8 meeting. Palmer worked with Community Paradigm during its previous town manager search.
“Primarily we are the most active recruiting firm in Massachusetts,” Community Paradigm Associates Founder and Managing Principal Bernard Lynch said. “In the last eight years, we’ve done 100+ town manager/town administrator searches; more than all of the other firms that are out there combined — by a pretty good amount.”
While describing the organization’s proposed timeline, Lynch explained that finalists could be presented to the council for interviews by the end of February. He also stated that he and Principal Sharon Flaherty would conduct the search.
“It is a very challenging time right now to hire town managers. Over two-thirds of the communities in Massachusetts … probably close to three quarters now, have turned over in the last 4-plus years,” Lynch said. He emphasized that the organization’s background in town manager searches, as well as experience working with Palmer, would help accelerate the search process.
The council unanimously voted to hire Community Paradigm Associates as the town’s consultant.