Residents sign petition to support a Wenham Town Administrator search

At the last Wenham Selectmen meeting, the Selectmen announced they are considering delaying the hiring of a permanent town administrator another year so as to avoid changing Town Administrators during the budget process.   Waiting another year for a search committee only puts Wenham in a holding pattern.  Besides, Wenham needs a Town Administrator committed to Wenham for the next 3-years to provide consistent leadership through the development of the Penguin Hall property.

Now is the right time of year to hold a search for a Town Administrator.  The Town Meeting business is complete, the fiscal year is wrapping up, the next budget cycle has yet to begin and we have an Interim Town Administrator with a contract through the end of June.  Running a Town Administrator search during the fall or winter would be a distraction to the important budget preparation process.    

Most professionals holding positions as town administrators have contracts requiring 60 days notice.  To avoid hiring after December 1, the Selectmen would need to make a selection on or before October 1.   That is why the search committee needs to be formed now to work over the summer to identify qualified candidates to present to the Board of Selectmen after Labor Day.  

A search committee drawn from a broad base of residents not only serves to help the Selectmen, but gives the selected candidate their first friendly faces in town.   The search committee serves as the first supporters of the new Town Administrator providing advice on where to tread lightly and where to stomp hard.  They can provide historical information and quick referrals to other knowledgeable residents.   The Selectmen would be short-changing someone by placing them in the Town Administrator position without forming a search committee.

The Wenham Selectmen need to hear from residents on this issue, either by adding your name at www.Change.org to the petition titled Wenham Board of Selectmen: Form a search committee for the position of Town Administrator or through email at kwhittaker@wenhamma.gov, pwilson@wenhamma.gov and jwilhelm@wenhamma.gov.