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Joseph Kowalik will not be staying on after all, with the Marblehead Municipal Light Department set to end his tenure Sept. 28 and provide him a severance of about $207,295.
Vice Chair Simon Frechette said Friday the board delivered Kowalik his severance letter, wages and a check for one year’s salary in accordance with its Sept. 9 vote.
“Jon will begin on Monday, the 29th,” Frechette told the Independent.
Clarification on Amendment 4
Frechette said Amendment 4, referenced in earlier drafts, was never enacted. It would have allowed Kowalik to split his severance into two payments, potentially easing his tax burden. Instead, Kowalik will receive benefits outlined in his original 2021 contract.
Separately, the board voted to authorize Chair Jean-Jacques Yarmoff or Frechette to deliver Kowalik’s severance letter before Sept. 28, exercising its contractual right to dismiss the general manager before the agreement’s April 2026 expiration.
Yarmoff emphasized the board’s intent: “Once an employer announces we are not going to renew your contract, the dynamics change suddenly. We sought to do what was right for the town and for MMLD, ensuring continuity while preparing for a transition.”
Retention bonus and dynamics
Earlier this year, the board approved a retention bonus amendment designed to encourage Kowalik to remain while a search for his successor was underway. The bonus offered up to $200,000 if he stayed through April 2026 and completed key tasks. By signing that amendment, Kowalik agreed to remain during the recruitment process rather than resign immediately.
The board received more than 90 applications for the general manager role, ultimately selecting Blair, former head of the Ipswich Electric Light Department. Blair’s five-year contract begins Sept. 29 at a base salary of $216,000, with potential merit increases and bonuses.
Blair steps in
Blair, currently a consultant in Boston and a former U.S. Navy submarine officer, earned recognition in Ipswich for reducing carbon intensity by half and securing millions in outside funding. Yarmoff noted the department’s confidence in his qualifications while acknowledging that he will need to learn the particulars of Marblehead’s infrastructure.
“John is a really good manager,” Yarmoff said earlier this month. “What he doesn’t know is Marblehead. And Joe has been in Marblehead for a really long time. So the specifics of what the light department is doing in Marblehead.”
Transition ahead
MMLD serves about 10,000 customers with a $20 million annual budget, the town’s second largest. The board expressed hope for a smooth transition, with Kowalik assisting Blair as needed, though state law gives hiring authority solely to the general manager.
Frechette added that Blair’s hiring was timely: “Just days after signing the term sheet, a Reading board member reached out to ask if we had already signed Jon — they indicated they would have been glad to hire him if we had not.”
The leadership change is set to take effect Monday, when Blair assumes responsibility for overseeing MMLD’s 20-member staff and advancing the department’s long-term goals, including a commitment to net zero emissions.
