Wenham Aims to Have Interim Leader on Board by Early April

More than two dozen candidates have applied to become the interim Town Administrator in Wenham.

The Wenham Board of Selectmen plan to meet on Monday morning to go over all the resumes that were submitted by last Friday’s deadline. Board chairman Molly Martins said she is looking for the board to rate the 26 applicants with an A, B or C so that the board can decide on three or four candidates to interview. Martins said she hopes that by mid-March that Selectmen would be negotiating a contract with the top pick.

The interim Town Administrator would take over for outgoing Town Administrator Jeff Chelgren, . His last day on the job in Wenham is scheduled for April 13. Martins said she hopes to have the interim hire on the job in early April so there is some overlap time with Chelgren.

“I think we need to move on this pretty quickly,” said John Clemenzi, a member of the Board of Selectmen.

The interim Town Administrator will head the town government operations for three to five months. It will give the Board of Selectmen time to conduct a “more thorough search process” for a permanent hire.

It will be the first time Wenham will have hired a new Town Administrator in 10 years. Chelgren came to Wenham from Westford in 2002.

When Chelgren leaves, there will be $14,700 left in the Town Administrator pay line item in the budget, Chelgren told the board of Selectmen this week. To pay the interim Town Administrator at Chelgren’s current rate – an annual salary of $93,456 – it will cost $23,000. But if selectmen wants to pay the interim at a rate equal to what a recent salary survey says it the market rate for the position - $102,357 – that will cost $25,495 for April through June, Chelgren said.

The Board of Selectmen have yet to decide how much the interim will be paid. The Board of Selectmen are scheduled to meet on Monday at 7:30 a.m. at .