Politics & Government

Planner Candidates Out of the Picture

Three finalists for the town planning position either declined the job or the town declined interest.

The town was preparing to hire a planner, choosing the applicant among three finalists.

But none of those individuals panned out, Jeffrey Blonder of the reported at the panel's meeting Monday.

One candidate took another job, Blonder said.

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Another one decided to pursue a master's degree.

Blonder was unsure what happened with the third candidate.

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The town decided to go in a different direction when it came to one of the candidates, Town Administrator Andrew Maylor said in an interview.

In any event, the planner position remains vacant and the town will ask the Metropolitan Area Planning Council for help finding a planner, Maylor said.

Originally, there were 19 candidates for the job, Blonder said.

He said that the starting pay the town was offering, $45,000 to $46,000, might have been too low. This kind of job currently pays in 50s, he said.

Once hired, the planner will work with the Planning Board to develop a long-range plan for the town.

About a third of the planner's salary will be funded by Green Communities funding.


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