After Bernie Lynch of Community Paradigm Associates explained that “the numbers we used to see for these jobs have been cut by at least a third” and told the story of a recent search that yielded 13 candidates, only one of whom had been a town manager, the challenge facing a smaller town like Marion became clear.
The Marion Town Administrator Screening Committee held a public meeting on December 8 to officially launch its part in the search for a replacement for Jay McGrail, who left last month to become town manager in Middleborough, a town of five times Marion’s population.
“The town administrator for a 4,000 population is the same as a town manager for 25,000, so that’s where we’re coming into the problem,” said Select Board Chairman Randy Parker.
Noting that Marion had 39 applicants the last time, Parker was eager to add that McGrail was not in the first batch of applicants for the job. He told the committee he believes one among those 39 has once again applied.
Marion, according to Lynch, fits the entry-level profile for candidates. The committee’s job is to work with Lynch in whittling down the list to bring two to four finalists to the Select Board.
“After that, there really isn’t a way to get candidates before the board,” said Lynch. “You can give all the resumes to the Select Board, but then they go public … their jobs can be in jeopardy so (the screening process) helps get the best candidates possible.”
Some towns, explained Lynch, form screening, search and selection committees, but the process is the same as almost all other searches that Community Paradigm Associates has conducted based on his vast background of 40-plus years in town management.
Lynch was town manager in Chelmsford, then city manager in Lowell for almost eight years, double the average town-manager tenure. Lowell is the state’s fifth most-populated city behind Cambridge.
In 2014, Lynch left Lowell to pursue other interests, including teaching, consulting, government- relations work and recruitment.
He has taught political science at UMass Lowell and joined Suffolk University to teach a local-government certification program in an effort to try to develop a new generation of town administrators. McGrail came out of the program.
“Jay is really one of the good students that we had come through,” said Lynch, who is seeing several now finding jobs. “I think there might be a couple in this batch of candidates.”
According to Lynch, Community Paradigm Associates has conducted over 90 searches in Massachusetts since 2015. It is the state’s most active recruiting firm, according to Lynch, and has led the way to more town management hires than all other firms put together.
Lynch personally led the search that yielded McGrail, and he will once again lead this search. He said the last five years have seen mostly retirements among town managers. Generation-X, he said, did not choose government as a career.
“That’s created a hole,” Lynch said, but was optimistic having previewed the initial group of applicants for Marion’s opening. “There are some very good candidates here.”
Once the Screening Committee recommends finalists, Community Paradigm Associates will contact references and conduct background checks. Initial steps have already begun. Unless the Select Board sees fit to call back the Screening Committee, its work is completed once the finalists are chosen.
Marion Finance Director/Town Accountant Judy Mooney is serving as interim town administrator.
Parker was voted chairman of the Screening Committee and Zoning Board of Appeals Chairperson Cynthia Callow to serve as clerk. The other members of the committee are Building Commissioner Bob Grillo, Finance Committee member Jay Pateakos and citizen at large Mike Sudofsky.
After Lynch finished answering questions from the committee, the members entered executive session to review resumes.
The committee did not set a date for its next meeting upon adjournment.
Marion Town Administrator Screening Committee
By Mick Colageo