Roughly one year after settling in as Rochester’s new town administrator, the Select Board will launch a search for its next town administrator after the members accepted Glenn Cannon’s letter of resignation during Monday’s public meeting at the Senior Center.
Cannon’s resignation is effective on Monday, May 13, the date of Rochester’s Annual Town Meeting. After officially becoming town administrator in March 2022, Cannon announced he is leaving the position to accept the same job for the neighboring town of Carver effective Tuesday, May 14.
“It is a bittersweet moment for me,” Cannon said after the vote. “I have this new opportunity in Carver. But I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working for the town of Rochester.”
The Select Board then appointed Finance Director and former Town Administrator Suzanne Szyndlar as interim town administrator until a new full-time town administrator is hired.
Following this vote, the board made immediate to plans to find that candidate. Select Board member Adam Murphy announced the town needs a citizen to serve on the Town Administrator Search Committee that the board is forming. He said residents interested in serving should email Town Hall (at GCannon@townofrochester.com).
Szyndlar, who had split her duties between that of town administrator and town accountant, took on the new position of finance director upon Cannon’s March 2022 hiring. She has since announced that FY25 will be her final year serving the town with a plan to retire on June 30, 2025.
Keeping to the theme of personnel changes, the board appointed Rochester Police Lieutenant Donald Kemmett as interim police chief. It then announced an update to the search to find the full-time replacement for Chief Robert Small, who last month announced his retirement effective June 28.
Murphy said the town’s posting to fill the position has already attracted eight interested applicants. The next steps will occur after the application deadline is reached on May 24.
In other action, the Select Board approved and signed the 21-article warrant for the May 13 Annual Town Meeting without further comment. Town Moderator David Arancio said he was present for this vote, should there be anything the board wanted to go over with him. Chairman Paul Ciaburri said no. “Now the warrant is officially in your hands,” he told Arancio.
There was no further discussion of the $12,000,000 debt exclusion request made by the Old Rochester Regional School District to make capital improvements around the school campus that in its last meeting, the board voted to not recommend to Town Meeting voters.
The Select Board approved raising the part-time Police Officers’ pay to $25.40 per hour effective May 12. The officers’ prior pay rate was $21 per hour.
The board authorized the town administrator to sign the winning bidder as the town goes out to bid to renew its contract with the Community Electric Energy Aggregate Agreement contract that saves town residents on their utility costs. Board members said it is an effort to seek a lower price than the town’s current electricity provider, Eversource.
The board approved allocating American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, $11,600 for a consultant firm to conduct a search for the new police chief and $6,000 for a firm to conduct a police sergeant assessment.
The Rochester Select Board will meet next on Monday, May 6, at 6:00 pm at the Senior Center, 67 Dexter Lane.
Rochester Select Board
By Michael J. DeCicco