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Town Manager salary set for six figures

Date: 4/23/2012

April 23, 2012

By Chris Maza

chrism@thereminder.com

LONGMEADOW — The next Longmeadow Town Manager is anticipated to make at least $16,000 more than current Town Manager Robin Crosbie and could make as much as $36,000 more.

The job posting for the soon-to-be-vacant position formulated by the Collins Center for Public Management at the University of Massachusetts Boston lists the anticipated salary range to be between $115,000 and $135,000.

According to the 2011 Annual Town Report, Crosbie made $98,561.

The question of Town Manager salaries was discussed at an April 16 public forum at the Adult Center when Eleanor Stolar asked why Crosbie made more than the mayors of some Western Massachusetts cities.

"Why do town managers who don't run for office make so much more? I don't have an answer," Selectman Paul Santaniello said, indicating that the salary amount was recommended by the Collins Center.

Santaniello also pointed out that Crosbie has not received a raise in four years.

Given the salary expectations for the new Town Manager, the person filling that position could become the second-highest paid appointed town officer in Longmeadow.

According to the Town Report, Longmeadow Public Schools Superintendent Marie Doyle is the highest paid appointed official after making $156,775 in 2011.

Director of Pupil Services Susan Bertrand and Fire Chief Eric Madison were the only other town officials whose salaries exceded $100,000 in 2011. Bertrand made $111,250, while Madison's salary was $103,456.

The Town Manager position profile created by the Collins Center, which is available for viewing on the Select Board/Town Manager page at www.longmeadow.org, outlines the duties of the Town Manager to include infrastructure planning and auditing, community planning and development, economic development and budget planning.

"Longmeadow seeks a Town Manager willing to commit to a tenure long enough to build a multi-year approach to ensuring the sustainability of the town's service levels," the profile reads. "The new Town Manager must support regional solutions when that is in the town's best interests, as well as foster volunteerism and private contributions as a partial solution to service delivery.

"Longmeadow needs a Town Manager who can help set the stage for community-wide approaches to addressing the town's needs, approaches that produce sound outcomes and avoid polarization within the town," it continued.

All applicants, according to the profile, must have a bachelor's degree and a master's degree is preferred. Applicants must also have had at least seven to 10 years experience in a role in which he or she "oversees the day-to-day operations of a public entity governed by an elected political body that makes decisions in public."

The personality requirements of the new Town Manager, some of which were suggested by residents during a March 20 open forum at Longmeadow High School, include strong communication skills and the ability to be visible in the community, willingness to work openly with town employees and community groups and the ability to act as a vocal spokesperson for the town.

The application period for the position closes on April 27.

Select Board Clerk Marie Angelides, who has been charged with overseeing the Town Manager search, did not return a request for comment as of press time.



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