Selectmen to Prepare for New Administration

Tonight selectmen will appoint a member to the committee charged with finding candidates for town administrator.

Selectmen Chairman Matt Strauss said about six people have expressed interest in sitting on the search committee.

He'll recommend an appointee to fellow selectmen and they will discuss the person. After a nomination is made they will vote.

The Finance Committee has already selected Cindy Merkle as its representative to the search panel.

The School Committee selected Neil Bernstein.

Town Moderator Joe Markarian will choose the final two members.

The moderator said earlier that he will review the selections by the other panels and choose the final two members with an eye toward a balanced search group. 

The search group will ultimately present 3-5 candidates to selectmen, and they will hire the next town administrator.

The selectmen's chairman hopes to have a new administrator in place before town meeting in April.

Also tonight selectmen will talk about an interim town administrator. The person will assume the town administrator's duties until the permanent replacement is hired.

Strauss said his personal choice for the interim post will be Dave Castellarin, the assistant town administrator.

Castellarin already knows the position's responsibilities. In the past he has filled in for the town administrator while he was on vacation, and he knows the organization and the town budget, the chairman said.

Town Administrator Andrew Maylor will leave Swampscott on Dec. 15 after nine years at .

He will become North Andover's town manager.

Selectmen meet tonight at 7 in their room on the first floor at Town Hall.