Commentary by Frank Schroth

Monday night we may have a new Town Administrator. We need one, but have we done everything possible up to this point to ensure a good result? Maybe not. There is still an opportunity to be more diligent about these candidates.  The need to fill the void is real; however, if none of these candidates is the right one, the Selectmen should not be afraid to reopen the search.

There are 4 candidates that will appear. One of them is our interim Administrator Annmarie Fagan. Regardless of how this pans out, she should be considered for sainthood as she has been doing the work of two.

In addition to Ms. Fagan, there is Grady Miller from Naragansett, RI, William O’Donnell of Great Barrington, MA, and David Caron of North Hampton, NH. A previous candidate Richard Lafond, Carver’s current Town Administrator, withdrew his name from consideration. Coincidently, Carver is where Matt Gillis, the departing Milton Asst Superintendent for Business, is from. He was Carver schools’ head of operations and finance prior to coming to Milton.

One of these 4 candidates may be a good choice, but how will we know? Somewhat troubling was John Carroll’s leaving the search committee. Mr. Carroll, the long-standing General Manager of Norwood, was the most knowledgeable of the committee members on the challenges, qualifications, political skills, and knowledge needed to be a successful town administrator. He left for “personal reasons;” yet he was not replaced, and the Committee lost not only one of its voices, but also essential expertise.

Most towns when searching for a Town Administrator appoint a major department figure to the committee. This Committee does not seem to have reached out to individuals who could contribute insight into what might work for Milton. After the Selectmen, there may not be a more important relationship to manage than that of the schools which account for ~50% of the town’s budget.  No one  from the Search Committee has reached out to our Superintendent of Schools for her thoughts on the process.  Similarly, we are not aware of any efforts to involve key department staff –for example, Lt Cherry of the MPD or Mr. Thompson of the DPW–or to solicit their input. Were Ms. Rizzi or Ms. Cahill asked for input? We hope so.

More voices make for a better outcome. More voices on the Committee and more voices contributing input would yield a better chance at a great Town Administrator. There were only 4 people on this committee. Mr. Carroll should have been replaced. Major departments should be encouraged to have some voice in this process.

Based on the agenda for Monday night’s session, we find only 45-minute interviews, conducted all on one exhausting night.  Will this provide sufficient insight into the candidates’ knowledge, opinions, and capabilities?  Will this provide enough information for this important decision?

We need a town administrator; but we need to do whatever we can to ensure we get the best one.