The Mattapoisett Finance Committee will be welcoming three new members, Aaron Goldberg, Kathy Costello and Karen Keenan, after a unanimous vote followed separate interviews of the three candidates on Tuesday night at Town Hall.
The three come from diverse backgrounds, and the interviewing committee comprised of Town Moderator Lizanne Campbell, Select Board Chairman Jordan Collyer and Mattapoisett School Committee Chairperson Carly Lavin came away from the interviews more than satisfied.
“We have three excellent candidates with three amazing resumes,” said Collyer, who was attending the meeting remotely.
The only detail yet to be ironed out will be the length of term for each new member. The openings must be filled according to the remaining time on each term vacated.
To avoid the appearance of arbitrary selection, they determined that Keenan, who interviewed second, will fill the longest open term because she was first among the three to apply for consideration. Costello, who interviewed last, was second to apply, and Goldberg, who interviewed first, will serve the shortest open term among the three.
All of the candidates were enthused to join the Finance Committee, and Lavin began each interview by thanking the candidates for their willingness to volunteer their time and experience.
“It certainly takes a village to run this village,” she said.
Goldberg, who retired in January from a company he started in 2012 and also worked for tech company Ziff Davis, is looking to offer his analytical expertise when he’s not following his two children currently playing college sports.
His background is not in accounting but as an improviser, focusing on “how do the numbers fit together,” prioritizing and finding creative solutions for difficult financial challenges.
Goldberg brings municipal-government experience from Plainville, where he served on ad-hoc committees that helped launch the Plainridge Park Casino and an affordable-housing project. In his nine years in Mattapoisett, he has served on the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals and on the Holy Ghost Grounds Re-use Committee.
Goldberg said he likes to work with other people because different perspectives help achieve consensus.
“I don’t think anybody holds all the keys to the kingdom,” he said. “Hopefully I’m not replicating people here.”
He said things tend to get done when a group builds a financial approach. “The key is to know where you want to get to,” he said. “I think there’s going to be a ton to learn.”
Keenan is the former chief financial officer of a bank. She has been a summer resident since 1997, but having recently retired she has been a full-time resident the past two years. She said this is the first time she has seen any requests for finance people. Keenan still serves on two bank boards but has never worked in a municipality.
“It’s important to listen to the emotions,” she said. “People will tell you what they want, but it can’t be based just on that. You just keep coming back to it, and cooler heads will normally prevail.”
Lavin also has experience in the corporate world and acknowledged the difference working in the town environment.
“People have a lot of passion when it’s about their home,” she said. “One of the beautiful things about Mattapoisett is we have so many people who care. We can have rational thoughts prevail, that’s a very good thing.”
Costello is well known in Mattapoisett, having worked as the administrator for the town’s Assessing Department as treasurer/collector and administrative assessor. She ran unsuccessfully for a Select Board seat in May.
“I wanted to be part of the town again. If you feel like you can be helpful, you should,” said Costello, who has other employment but after taking a little break has time to assist the town. “I have a pretty good view what Finance Committee is all about. I’ve sat before them many times. I think it would be a welcome addition to what I do, and I have the time to do it.”
Collyer vouched for Costello’s helpfulness in her prior role and believes that she, along with Goldberg and Keenan, will make a positive impact on the FinCom.
Given an opportunity to ask questions, Goldberg focused on the timeline of the Finance Committee’s involvement.
Assistant Town Administrator Katie Stephanian, who moderated the meeting, summarized the process whereby department heads make requests and, except for larger items such as capital requests, the Finance Committee tries “within reason” to work on meeting those budgetary needs.
Lavin pointed to a challenging 2024 budget season that saw other towns make cuts, something Mattapoisett was able to avoid.
“We understand we can’t just spend money, it has to be long-term sustainable,” said Lavin, pointing to disagreements amidst healthy discussion.
In her short time as town moderator, Campbell has been impressed with Town Administrator Mike Lorenco’s knowledge of Mattapoisett’s financial situation and his ability to apply such information in timely situations.
Collyer said Mattapoisett is considered by the state Department of Revenue as a model municipality from a fiscal-stability standpoint.
“We face our challenges head-on,” he said, crediting, “sound planning and very, very open, honest conversation.”
Goldberg also asked about grant-writing responsibilities; Collyer said that does not fall onto the Finance Committee.
Mattapoisett Finance Committee
By Mick Colageo