ROCKINGHAM — The Bellows Falls Trustees and Rockingham Selectboard have progressed in the search for a town manager to oversee all departments and employees, as well as do budgetary reports, negotiate contracts and report to both boards.
A five-member committee of two members from each board, and Interim Town Manager and Development Director Francis “Dutch” Walsh, have met to lay out a battle plan, and hope to have a town manager in place by Jan. 1, 2011.
Ann DiBernardo and Matt Trieber from the Selectboard, and Paul Obuchowski and Leslie White from the Trustees, are working together with Walsh in creating and placing the ad - set to be posted in the coming week - and creating a timeline for interviews and recommendations, and subsequent hiring.
“Whoever we hire is going to have to know about budgets as we usually want to start reviewing town and village budget reports around the first of the year,” DiBernardo said.
“We want to do something different this time,” DiBernardo said, explaining that they want suggestions from employees and residents this time, on what they need and want in a town manager.
“A suggestion box is going up on the town site,” she said. “People will be able to access it and communicate their ideas to us in writing.”
DiBernardo said that the committee has a budget of $5,000 for advertising, and they don't want to spend it all in one place. One paper, she said, “charges $950 for one ad.” Instead, the committee will concentrate its efforts on online job websites, and at graduate schools around New England.
DiBernardo clarified, however, that they are probably not looking for someone fresh out of college.
“We want someone with a few years experience under their belt,” she said. “We're looking for someone with fresh ideas and some vision for the community, who has the requirements we need.
“We think being a resident, or at least able to get to Town Hall inside 20 minutes, will be necessary,” DiBernardo continued. “We want someone who will feel the pain along with the rest of us, if taxes are raised sort of thing. I think [knowing] the culture of our community, life on the river, is important.”
“An energetic, proactive, community oriented leader” is what the committee says it is looking for, along with professional requirements to be posted in the next week on various websites online.
The suggestion box should be available in the next few weeks as well, DiBernardo said. “Matt [Trieber] is working on that with Dutch,” she said.