ROCKINGHAM — The Town Manager committee received notice last Friday that Dale L. Martin, of Linden, Mich., to whom the committee had offered the town manager position, had declined the offer.
Selectboard and committee member Ann DiBernardo said that Martin e-mailed the committee with the news, and his reason for turning down the job was “salary,” which she confirmed as being “between $70,000 and $80,000” per year.
She speculated that there might have been other considerations “like our history of town managers leaving, as well as dealing with town and village merger issues.”
DiBernardo said Martin's wife is a court reporter, and finding a job here may have been difficult for her.
Martin's last city manager position, in Davison, Mich., ended last July following an “acrimonious 4-3 vote” by the City Council, according to a story by George Jaksa of the Flint Journal.
“Council members… accused Martin…of lying to them, providing coy answers, being disrespectful and being more interested in promoting his personal professional resume than serving the city of Davison,” reported Jaska.
In an earlier interview, DiBernardo said that Martin's experience “seems to be the norm rather than the exception” with regard to a town manager's past history. “You've either left a position or been fired.”
Despite this setback, DiBernardo reported that the committee has an interview in mid-March with another “outstanding candidate” who has expressed his continued interest in the town manager position.
“He's from New England and knows the area,” she said.
DiBernardo said the salary that Rockingham is offering is commensurate with the job description for a community its size, as well as for “the amazing amount of work” a town manager is expected to do.
She said the incoming town manager will be dealing with 10 people on two boards, fire and police departments, and upcoming union negotiations. so whomever is hired needs “to hit the ground running.”
“We're moving forward and are enthusiastic,” said DiBernardo.