It may feel like a long and winding road, especially for outgoing Town Administrator Mike Gagne, but Mattapoisett now has three viable candidates to consider as Gagne’s replacement.
The town’s first solo effort to find worthy candidates ended when it was determined that professional help was needed. The firm of Community Paradigm Associates, LLC of Plymouth was hired to help post the job and assist the town by profiling the community and its needs on various internet platforms and publications, along with the labor-intensive task of screening applicants based against the scope of the job and the skill sets they possessed. Those efforts brought forth 40 applications. Of those, seven semi-finalists were identified after long hours spent interviewing candidates, completed in partnership with the town’s screening committee.
Mattapoisett’s screening committee members were Don Carlstrom, John Decosta, Jim Turse, Pat Donoghue, and Bonne DeSousa. On January 23, they presented the Board of Selectmen with three finalists for their consideration.
The Board of Selectmen will publicly interview those finalists on January 28, beginning at 4:00 pm in the Town Hall conference room, with each interview planned to last one hour.
The finalists for the position are James Duggan, Michael Lorenco, and John Bugbee.
Duggan, of Dracut, holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Westfield State University and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Suffolk University. He lists his current position as Town Administrator of Dracut. He was previously the Chief Administrative Officer for the Town of Gloucester.
In his introductory letter Duggan wrote, “Over the course of my tenure of 30 years in public management, I have been fortunate to have been involved in various communities that have enabled me to utilize my strong organizational, communication, and leadership skills. Having examined the impressive solid foundation that has been built and maintained by Mattapoisett’s administration, elected officials, volunteers, and employees, I am confident that my background of directly related experience, appropriate academic qualifications, and management style will fit perfectly in the town’s administration.”
Lorenco, of Harwich, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bentley College in Corporate Finance and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Suffolk University. His current position is listed as Assistant Town Administrator and Finance Director for the Town of Eastham.
Lorenco wrote in his letter that his experiences in Eastham, where he had worked on municipal budgets, state public procurement regulations, organization and personnel management, as well as union negotiation and grievance processes, now puts him in position for the next step in his career. He said it was “a natural progression and opportunity for professional growth.” He also noted, “I have vast personal knowledge of Mattapoisett, as it is my hometown for most of my life. For over 30 years my family called Mattapoisett home.”
Lorenco wrote that his father is a business owner in town and that his brother is a former police officer in the community.
Bugbee, of Attleboro, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and History from Roger Williams University and a Master’s in Public Administration from Bridgewater State University. Bugbee is currently the Chief Procurement Officer for the Town of Franklin and previously held the position of Town Administrator for the Town of Tisbury.
Bugbee shared in his introductory letter: “As the Town Administrator in Tisbury I was in charge of drafting and presenting the town’s annual budget; overseeing all personnel within the town which included negotiating three separate union contracts, drafting and implementing a personnel manual and performing all employee evaluations.”
He went on to say that he drafted grants that were successful and worked collaboratively with five island town administrations to develop shared municipal services and countywide collective needs.
Earlier in the meeting, Gagne had commented that, unlike when he first entered public service, such positions are not learned while study for a bachelor’s degree.
“It was much harder today to work your way up through the ranks because the job of a town administrator has changed and is changing,” said Gagne. “It’s very complex.”
Echoing those sentiments, Selectman Paul Silva said of the role of a selectman: “Our roles have changed, department heads have changed, state and federal requirements have changed – these are complex demands.”
“We have gained a lot of knowledge of the candidates,” said search committee member Carlstrom, offering the selectmen some of his insights. Silva, however, said he would rather “do it raw” as he heads into Tuesday’s interviews, and Selectman Jordan Collyer said, “I don’t want any bias.”
With public interviews now scheduled for January 28 at 4:00 pm, the BOS scheduled private one-on-one meetings for January 31 if the individual selectmen wished to conduct such meetings with individual candidates.
In a follow-up, Silva said that “candidates might be more comfortable” answering questions during a one-on-one interview in a “closed-door environment”.
Collyer said that, should he feel the need to ask further questions one-on-one, “The door would be open to anyone” who wished to sit in on the one-to-one interviews.
In another follow-up with The Wanderer, Gagne shared town counsel’s guidance on the matter of individual interviews which read in part: “…there is no violation of any provision in the Open Meeting Law…” if the selectmen wish to obtain additional information. They cannot, however, discuss their “thoughts or impressions outside of an open meeting”.
The Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen is also scheduled to meet on February 4 at 6:30 pm during which time they hope to announce their selection.
Former Selectman Tyler Macallister had resigned from the Board of Selectmen last fall, stating at that time that he would be pursuing the town administrator’s position. On January 26, he told The Wanderer, “I did apply for the position and I was interviewed.” He went on to say, “I think it’s great that the town has three real good candidates.
“But it was always my intention, if I didn’t get the job, to pull papers and run for re-election,” continued Macallister. “I talked extensively with the [State Ethics Commission] and they were specific that I had to resign (as selectman) before I began any part of the town administrator process.”
The Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen is also scheduled to meet on February 4 at 6:30 pm.
Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen
By Marilou Newell