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By the time the Marblehead Select Board reached the last business item on its Sept. 9 agenda, members had spent much of the evening interviewing five Finance Committee applicants. Chair Dan Fox told the audience that anyone leaving for the 8:30 p.m. Patriots game should not feel obliged to stay.
Then the board turned to three pages spelling out what Marblehead wants from the person who will run its government day to day.
Members approved the town administrator recruitment profile that will guide the search for a successor to Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer, who retires at the end of the year. Prepared with the Collins Center for Public Management at the University of Massachusetts Boston, which is handling recruitment, the document lays out the problems awaiting the next administrator and the kind of manager the town wants to handle them.
Fox said members had talked with the Collins Center at different times and that the draft had "gone back and forth independently." Salary comparisons from other towns had also been forwarded, which he said helped set the pay range.
"Hopefully, this encompasses it," Fox said.
Discussion was brief. Select Board member Moses Grader called the document great and moved to approve it as presented. The motion, which also authorized Fox to submit the final document, passed on a voice vote.
Screening committee comes first
Fox said the profile would be posted the next day. He described Oct. 8 as the deadline for resumes to come back; the profile says review of resumes begins that day.
Selected candidates will be interviewed by a screening committee, and the Select Board will make the final selection. Neither the profile nor the Sept. 9 discussion identified who will sit on the committee.
Override arrives with limits
The profile starts with finances. It says voter approval of a significant operational override gives Marblehead a chance to move beyond short-term constraints toward long-range sustainability, capital planning and infrastructure investment, and that the next administrator will play a key role in deploying the money strategically.
The $15 million Tier 3 override approved in June phases in from fiscal 2027 through 2029, with the first-year draw limited to $4.3 million, according to the profile. That draw brings total fiscal 2027 appropriations to about $127.1 million, including a base budget of about $122.8 million. A separate $2.3 million override continues paying for curbside trash and recycling through the tax levy.
A framework covering fiscal 2027 through 2029 gives schools 62% of net unrestricted revenue and municipal operations 38%, and it commits the town not to seek another operating override before fiscal 2030. The profile does not give the revenue total, so the split cannot be put in dollars.
Marblehead entered fiscal 2027 with about $6.1 million in certified free cash and appropriated about $5 million in free cash to support the base operating budget. Reserves equaled about 2% of budgeted expenditures, against a long-term goal of 5%; the profile does not specify the spending figure used to calculate them.
Town prepares for more retirements
The profile says Marblehead is entering an organizational transition that includes recruiting key leadership positions and preparing for anticipated retirements. It says the next administrator will have the opportunity to advance succession planning, employee development and engagement while building the next generation of municipal leaders.
The five-member Select Board serves as the town's chief executive, keeping major policy decisions and delegating day-to-day administration to the town administrator. Voters separately elect the School Committee, Planning Board, Municipal Light Commission, Water and Sewer Commission and other panels. The profile asks the administrator to strengthen coordination among departments and those boards.
For residents it describes as highly engaged in Open Town Meeting government, the profile calls for proactive outreach, timely information and more transparency. It says the administrator will work with the board to create a communication plan.
Other continuing priorities include infrastructure, facilities, redevelopment, coastal resiliency and environmental sustainability, to be advanced while preserving Marblehead's character and history.
Five to seven years required
The profile calls for a bachelor's degree in public administration, government or a related field and five to seven years of municipal management experience. A master's degree is preferred, and candidates with an equivalent combination of education, training, certification and experience are encouraged to apply. The anticipated starting salary is $200,000 to $215,000, depending on qualifications.
It describes a collaborative leader who succeeds through influence and relationship-building, navigates differing viewpoints diplomatically and builds consensus. The town wants strong skills in finance, operations, human resources and labor relations; a partner to the school superintendent and School Committee; and a mentor who develops employees and department heads, sets expectations and holds them accountable.
The profile also seeks a professional adviser who keeps Select Board members informed with timely, objective updates and recommendations.
Resume review begins Oct. 8, less than three months before Kezer retires. After the screening committee's interviews, the five members of the Select Board will choose the person expected to deliver on the three pages they approved Sept. 9.
