ORANGE — After arguments, allegations of favoritism and complaints to the State Ethics Commission, the Selectboard has settled on how it will move forward with the town administrator hiring process.
The Selectboard expects to interview four finalists, chosen by the Town Administrator Search Committee, Wednesday starting at 5:45 p.m. at the Town Hall.
The finalists are Candace Ouillette Gaumond of Ware, the administrative assistant to the town administrator and Selectboard in Wilbraham; Johanna Swain of Barre, the executive secretary and acting town administrator in West Brookfield; Kerrie Carnes Salwa of Clinton, economic development director in Leominster and Gabriel Voelker of New Salem, acting town administrator, finance director and treasurer in Orange.
“I think that this is a serious position and we need to give each candidate serious interviews and attention,” said Selectboard member Jane Peirce.
“I think it’s important we have the opportunity with each candidate to hear their unique perspectives and their qualifications and experience,” she added.
The last four Selectboard meetings have dwelled on the question of how to proceed with hiring a permanent town administrator. The meetings have been tempestuous, with quarrels, questions of integrity and even tears.
The Town Administrator Search Committee, chaired by Police Chief Craig Lundgren, has spent the last year interviewing and screening 22 applicants — ultimately, the Selectboard will decide whom to hire.
When Lundgren presented the three finalists the Search Committee had chosen to the Selectboard on March 21, it caused a rift.
Two of the three finalists were Ouiellette Gaumond and Swain — a third unnamed finalist has withdrawn her application, possibly due to the turmoil at the March 21 meeting.
Selectboard Vice Chairman Ryan Mailloux took issue with the Search Committee’s exclusion of Voelker from the three finalists.
Mailloux had told Lundgren “integrity could not have been used” in excluding Voelker as a finalist.
“I think there was some behind-the-scenes that led us to exclude possible candidates,” Mailloux had said.
Voelker has been the acting administrator for roughly a year, following Diana M. Schindler’s leave of absence and later resignation that was made official on Aug. 11.
Mailloux said Voelker has proved her abilities and commitment to Orange, while the other applicants have not, and that her level of education exceeds at least two of the original three finalists. He then added that Voelker has made Orange a “significantly greater place” and that her exclusion was “a slap in the face.”
Peirce also disagreed with Voelker being excluded from the original finalists group, saying the acting town administrator should be interviewed as a common courtesy.
But the other selectmen — except James Cornwell, who has remained reserved and procedural throughout the debacle — pushed back.
Tom Smith said the Selectboard should respect the Search Committee’s decisions and interview the three original finalists. Chairman Richard Sheridan then reported Mailloux and Peirce to the State Ethics Commission, alleging the two had shown favoritism toward Voelker.
“It was obvious last week that the individual in question was being promoted by (Mailloux and Peirce),” Sheridan said at the following March 28 meeting, revealing ethics investigations had been opened.
The March 28 meeting also saw Search Committee members Jeffrey Cole and Shirley Barrus blast Mailloux for his statements, which they found discourteous to the committee and a respected official like Lundgren.
“I would like to go on record with my disgust,” Cole had said.
Three weeks later, things seem to have settled. The Selectboard agreed to add two more finalists to be interviewed — both chosen by the Search Committee — as well as the original finalists Ouiellette Gaumond and Swain.
They agreed largely on many things Wednesday, including that the four finalists should be interviewed individually, rather than in a “round robin” format.
The candidates will be questioned about their accessibility to the public, their style of management and their experience with municipal issues and finances.