Rochester Board of Selectmen Chairman Naida Parker read the letter of resignation of Town Administrator Michael McCue during a morning selectmen’s meeting on Thursday, April 14.
Still in the throes of budget season and just weeks before the June 6 Annual Town Meeting, the town only has two weeks to set up an interim administration to handle McCue’s duties and advertise for candidates to fill the position before McCue leaves to fill the town administrator position in the Town of Hanson.
Town employee contracts are up this year as well, and negotiations have not yet advanced past the preliminary stage.
“It certainly isn’t going to make life easy,” said Parker. Moving forward, she said, it is feasible for the town accountant to temporarily take over McCue’s finance director responsibilities, while Town Counsel Blair Bailey could assist with the general administration aspect of the position. “Over the next few weeks we’ll be coming up with a game plan. I could see asking in-house personnel to expand on their duties a little bit.”
McCue said he applied for the Hanson town administrator position because his elderly parents live in the town. He said working in Hanson only five minutes away from them would benefit the quality of life for his family.
“It just happened to work out,” said McCue.
McCue was one of three final candidates for the town administrator position in Fairhaven back in November but ultimately was not selected.
“You never know when these [opportunities] are going to come up,” said McCue, adding that there is a significant salary increase involved. He currently makes $95,900 in Rochester. Hanson is offering $115,000. “It just seemed to work out for the best for my family.”
By Jean Perry