ADAMS, Mass. — In its ongoing process to review the town charter, the General Government Review Committee has reviewed the town's executive positions, including the Board of Selectmen and the town administrator.

The committee conducted interviews with Town Administrator Jay Green and members of the selectmen to discuss the executive functions of the town and their role in town government. Community Paradigm Associates consultant Bernard Lynch said, based on the interviews, that town officials think things are working well, but there's room for improvement.

"There's a real sense that people are trying to pull together, and they feel that good things are happening in the town and everyone's trying to work well," he said at the committee's meeting last Wednesday.

One issue Lynch highlighted was that the Board of Selectmen often focuses on daily operations, such as personnel appointments and facility management, rather than long-term planning. One comment from the interviews he highlighted was the feeling that the executive branch of town government functions better with a clear hierarchy, which he said could help the selectmen focus less on daily operations.

"They've become more bounded by day-to-day functions, particularly during COVID," he said. "... Their meetings are taken up with the more mundane day-to-day functions, as opposed to the big picture visioning and policy setting and goal setting that they would like to see done."

Board Member Virginia Duval said she felt many of these issues started before the COVID-19 pandemic when the town was still searching for a permanent Town Administrator.

"I really did feel that, overall, their comments about them being down in the weeds and having that kind of responsibility had more to do with that 18-month period when there was no full-time town administrator," she said.

The committee also discussed positions appointed by the Board of Selectmen specifically, such as the Police Chief and Department of Public Works Director. Board Member Jonathan Butler said the public nature of this process, where candidate interviews are at a public meeting, can cause issues.

"It's uncomfortable from a Q&A perspective. It's uncomfortable to have more candidate conversations and learn more about the candidates," he said. "And beyond that, it's also an issue where you can lose quality candidates. And a couple of the board members stated that they lost candidates for jobs because they lose their confidentiality as soon as they enter the process."

Lynch said the information from the interviews is helpful in the board's review of the charter and allows them to define the roles of each position.  

"There can be language inserted that makes it very clear as to what the appropriate role is of the administrator and what the appropriate role is of the board," he said. "In many charters, it's very specific that the day-to-day operations rest solely with the town administrator. And that sends a message of what the relationship should be."

Butler also suggested the committee recommend policy as part of their review process, even if the committee's primary goal is reviewing the charter.

The group plans on more interviews with elected town officials, including the treasurer, assessor and clerk, to discuss the functions of those positions. Lynch said he expects to discuss those interviews at the group's next meeting, as several of those positions, in many communities, are now appointed.

In other business:

Lynch introduced Peter Morin, a new senior associate for Community Paradigm Associates, who will be assisting on the remainder of the town's charter review. Morin has previously worked in municipal positions in Norwell and Braintree.

"He has worked with a number of charter committees in the past, and he will be working with me on the completion of the Adams project," Lynch said.