It may feel like a long and winding road, especially for outgoing Town Administrator Mike Gagne, but Mattapoisett now has three viable candidates to consider as Gagne’s replacement.

            The town’s first solo effort to find worthy candidates ended when it was determined that professional help was needed. The firm of Community Paradigm Associates, LLC of Plymouth was hired to help post the job and assist the town by profiling the community and its needs on various internet platforms and publications, along with the labor-intensive task of screening applicants based against the scope of the job and the skill sets they possessed. Those efforts brought forth 40 applications. Of those, seven semi-finalists were identified after long hours spent interviewing candidates, completed in partnership with the town’s screening committee.

            Mattapoisett’s screening committee members were Don Carlstrom, John Decosta, Jim Turse, Pat Donoghue, and Bonne DeSousa. On January 23, they presented the Board of Selectmen with three finalists for their consideration.

            The Board of Selectmen will publicly interview those finalists on January 28, beginning at 4:00 pm in the Town Hall conference room, with each interview planned to last one hour.

            The finalists for the position are James Duggan, Michael Lorenco, and John Bugbee.

            Duggan, of Dracut, holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Westfield State University and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Suffolk University. He lists his current position as Town Administrator of Dracut. He was previously the Chief Administrative Officer for the Town of Gloucester.

            In his introductory letter Duggan wrote, “Over the course of my tenure of 30 years in public management, I have been fortunate to have been involved in various communities that have enabled me to utilize my strong organizational, communication, and leadership skills. Having examined the impressive solid foundation that has been built and maintained by Mattapoisett’s administration, elected officials, volunteers, and employees, I am confident that my background of directly related experience, appropriate academic qualifications, and management style will fit perfectly in the town’s administration.”

            Lorenco, of Harwich, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bentley College in Corporate Finance and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Suffolk University. His current position is listed as Assistant Town Administrator and Finance Director for the Town of Eastham.

            Lorenco wrote in his letter that his experiences in Eastham, where he had worked on municipal budgets, state public procurement regulations, organization and personnel management, as well as union negotiation and grievance processes, now puts him in position for the next step in his career. He said it was “a natural progression and opportunity for professional growth.” He also noted, “I have vast personal knowledge of Mattapoisett, as it is my hometown for most of my life. For over 30 years my family called Mattapoisett home.”

            Lorenco wrote that his father is a business owner in town and that his brother is a former police officer in the community.

            Bugbee, of Attleboro, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and History from Roger Williams University and a Master’s in Public Administration from Bridgewater State University. Bugbee is currently the Chief Procurement Officer for the Town of Franklin and previously held the position of Town Administrator for the Town of Tisbury.

            Bugbee shared in his introductory letter: “As the Town Administrator in Tisbury I was in charge of drafting and presenting the town’s annual budget; overseeing all personnel within the town which included negotiating three separate union contracts, drafting and implementing a personnel manual and performing all employee evaluations.”

            He went on to say that he drafted grants that were successful and worked collaboratively with five island town administrations to develop shared municipal services and countywide collective needs.

            Earlier in the meeting, Gagne had commented that, unlike when he first entered public service, such positions are not learned while study for a bachelor’s degree.

            “It was much harder today to work your way up through the ranks because the job of a town administrator has changed and is changing,” said Gagne. “It’s very complex.”

            Echoing those sentiments, Selectman Paul Silva said of the role of a selectman: “Our roles have changed, department heads have changed, state and federal requirements have changed – these are complex demands.”

            “We have gained a lot of knowledge of the candidates,” said search committee member Carlstrom, offering the selectmen some of his insights. Silva, however, said he would rather “do it raw” as he heads into Tuesday’s interviews, and Selectman Jordan Collyer said, “I don’t want any bias.” 

            With public interviews now scheduled for January 28 at 4:00 pm, the BOS scheduled private one-on-one meetings for January 31 if the individual selectmen wished to conduct such meetings with individual candidates.

            In a follow-up, Silva said that “candidates might be more comfortable” answering questions during a one-on-one interview in a “closed-door environment”.

            Collyer said that, should he feel the need to ask further questions one-on-one, “The door would be open to anyone” who wished to sit in on the one-to-one interviews.

             In another follow-up with The Wanderer, Gagne shared town counsel’s guidance on the matter of individual interviews which read in part: “…there is no violation of any provision in the Open Meeting Law…” if the selectmen wish to obtain additional information. They cannot, however, discuss their “thoughts or impressions outside of an open meeting”.

            The Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen is also scheduled to meet on February 4 at 6:30 pm during which time they hope to announce their selection.

            Former Selectman Tyler Macallister had resigned from the Board of Selectmen last fall, stating at that time that he would be pursuing the town administrator’s position. On January 26, he told The Wanderer, “I did apply for the position and I was interviewed.” He went on to say, “I think it’s great that the town has three real good candidates.

            “But it was always my intention, if I didn’t get the job, to pull papers and run for re-election,” continued Macallister. “I talked extensively with the [State Ethics Commission] and they were specific that I had to resign (as selectman) before I began any part of the town administrator process.”

            The Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen is also scheduled to meet on February 4 at 6:30 pm.

Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen

By Marilou Newell

Scott Snow is no stranger to the permitting process to develop land and build in the town of Mattapoisett, and he has experienced his share of contentious meetings with various town boards along the way; which is why Snow was pleased on January 17 to receive two Certificates of Compliance – one complete and one partial – from the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission for his construction project on 27 Nashawena Road. But as Snow put it last Friday, “It’s always something,” and in this case that ‘something’ was a third certificate of compliance that Snow expected to receive that day.

            Chairman Mike King was absent from the meeting, which was rescheduled after the January 13 meeting was canceled due to a lack of a quorum; Conservation Agent Elizabeth Leidhold was also absent, which left the four commission members that could attend the 12:00 noon meeting without input or recommendations on Snow’s requests.

            The commission moved quickly through the entire agenda granting all the requests before it with no questions or comments amongst the members during the 10 minutes it took to adjourn.

            Snow’s first Certificate of Compliance was for a partial-beam plan for a foundation and included a licensed seawall that was completed and a shed that was constructed. But a proposed deck and staircase were not completed so another Notice of Intent is needed for the remaining work as the permit has expired.

            Snow’s second agenda item included plans for a sloped retaining wall, which has been completed, but the proposed pool, deck, breakaway panels on a column foundation, landscape plantings, and driveway expansion have not been completed.

            “I’m comfortable with it,” commented commission member Chapman Dickerson.

            As per the engineer’s request, the commission issued a partial certificate rather than an invalid certificate, and a new Notice of Intent for the incomplete work must be filed as that permit has also lapsed.

            Snow then asked the commission if it was going to approve a third request for a Certificate of Compliance for a septic system at the same address, but it was not featured on the agenda and the appointed chairman for the day, Trevor Francis, had no knowledge of a third certificate request.

            “That’s all we have is the two,” said Francis.

            Looking ahead to the next meeting’s agenda, the commission found no mention of another certificate request for Snow.

            “ Without [Leidhold] here there’s not much I can do,” Francis told Snow.

            Also during the meeting, the commission granted a one-year permit extension to Samuel Waterston, 13 Shipyard Lane, to reconstruct a groin and build a new walkway, ramp, and float. No work has been undertaken to date.

            Thomas Econopouly, 84A Shagbark Drive, also received a permit extension to build a single-family house. No work has been conducted since the permit was originally approved.

            The commission approved two Certificates of Compliance for Deborah and Carmello Nicolosi, 38 Shore Drive, for a seawall and jetty repair, deck and stairway, shed, concrete slab, septic upgrade, and a 25-by-28-foot addition.

            A Request for Certificate of Compliance filed by Alexander Makkas, 16 Island View Avenue, was continued until February 10.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission is scheduled for January 27 at 6:30 pm at the Mattapoisett Town Hall.

Mattapoisett Conservation Commission

By Jean Perry