A search committee tasked with providing the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen with qualified candidates for town administrator has been unable to do so.
According to Town Administrator Michael Gagne, who announced earlier this year that he would retire on October 15, the committee was unsuccessful in the search for his replacement.
Gagne said the search committee screened more than 20 applications and narrowed down the field to about six, with one candidate standing out over all others. That candidate, however, has now taken a job in another municipality. Now, Gagne said that he would be proposing to the selectmen that a professional search company be engaged; a move he believed would help the town in finding qualified candidates.
Gagne did discuss the matter with the search committee during its September 20 meeting. At that time he told the members that a comprehensive request for proposals would be posted for professional services. He also said that to help candidates make informed decisions regarding Mattapoisett, additional documents would be made available on the town’s website containing information on open space and recreational plans, waterways plans, water and sewer certifications, demographics, historical profile, income reports, bond sales and other financial documents, including the town’s Master Plan.
Noting that the job of a small town administrator is unique and requires a myriad of skill-sets, Gagne smiled and said, “One minute you are handling a $20,000,000 budget and the next you’re trying to figure out why the lights keep turning off in an 1800s building.”
Gagne has been town administrator for Mattapoisett for 10 years.
By Marilou Newell