Swampscott Seeks New Town Planner With Departure of Pete Kane

The town administrator says Swampscott's vacant planner post is vital to the town, and the person who had been in the position until June 28 did a fine job.

Pete Kane was the town planner from late 2011 until a little more than a week ago.

Town Administrator Tom Younger said the town has received at least 21 applicants for the open post.

Personnel Director Nancy Lord is reviewing the applications and working with the Planning Board to schedule interviews.

Younger hopes to have a new planner in the planner role by some time in August.

In the meantime, Pete Kane will work remotely on an hourly basis, as needed.

Kane's salary was $48,000 per year for the fulltime, permanent position.

Younger said Kane was an extremely proficient planner who multitasked as well as anyone and was skilled in securing grants for planning and energy and working on energy efficiency projects.

He wore many uniforms and worked as part of many teams including those devoted to open space, planning, zoning and development.

The planner relocated to New York City for personal reasons.

For his part, Kane hopes a good foundation has been set and that the town continues to plan for its future. 

"By doing so, the community will be able to be proactive and talk about what they want, rather than reacting," he said. "There's a lot of great talent in town that can be tapped and has been tapped to help shape the community into something really special."