Five days after announcing that contract negotiations with candidate Evan Lehrer were unsuccessful, the Town of Marion was no closer to hiring a new town administrator. The January 13 announcement stated that the Select Board was continuing to explore options with the consultant (Bernie Lynch) from Community Paradigm Associates.
The Select Board, which voted 2-1 for Lehrer over fellow finalists Geoff Gorman and Thomas Guerino on January 5, was scheduled to hold its regular public meeting on Wednesday, January 18, and has scheduled an executive session for Thursday, January 19.
Last week, the Mashpee Enterprise reported that Lehrer has decided to stay at his current job as Mashpee’s town planner.
Lehrer also has business interests in Mashpee. The Enterprise reported on December 21 that the Mashpee’s Select Board voted to move forward in a host agreement with Sublime Cannabis, a recreational marijuana dispensary of which Lehrer is president and part owner. No mention of Lehrer’s cannabis business was made during his final interview for the Marion job on January 5.
Lehrer had emerged as the favorite for Select Board Chairman Randy Parker and board member Toby Burr primarily due to his planning acumen as demonstrated when discussing development history in Mashpee, including the Commons as well as New Seabury. On January 5, board member Norm Hills voted to pursue negotiations with Gorman.
The subject of planning is particularly relevant in Marion, a town facing major, private and public land-development projects, most notably the former Lockheed Martin property.
By Mick Colageo