CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The Select Board on Monday voted to offer the position of town administrator to Ronald Boucher, pending contract negotiations.
"I think Ron's the best option, the safest option to move forward," said board member Colton Andrews.
Boucher is a former Select Board chair, town moderator and Finance Committee member and current member of the Planning Board. He's currently a regional sales manager for global EcoLab. He was notified during the meeting and agreed to meet with the board on his contract Friday morning.
Should he accept the post, he will replace Carl McKinney; the board declined to renew his contract and his final day is Friday.
Boucher was one of three candidates
interviewed for the post; the
others were Bryana Malloy, manager of industry relations manager for MassHire, and Kenneth Ward, Williamstown's information technology director.
The board members agreed that Malloy, who unsuccessfully ran for the Select Board in June, and Boucher were their preferred candidates.
Chair Robert Norcross gave a strong case for Malloy, citing her experience in applying for and administering grants.
"I do like Ron but really feel that Bryana could step in with the grants, which is a big issue for the town of Clarksburg. And I really feel somebody that's a go-getter, that has a good attitude, you're going to be able to learn the job," he said. "It may take her longer but I really feel that Bryana would be the better choice."
Board members Colton Andrews and Daniel Haskins agreed with Norcross on Malloy's strengths but thought Boucher's experience and contacts in government — he was also a North Adams city councilor and its president — gave him more weight.
"Ron has experience in how the town runs. And I think, yes, connections with the higher-up politicians, that would definitely be a great asset to the town," said Haskins. "He also did fill in as a town administrator, previously ...
"I feel like he may be a better fit because of that previous experience."
Boucher's knowledge about how the town runs, his stint as fill-in town administrator when he was chair of the board and his relationships with the region's representatives were a factor in Andrews' decision as well.
"I think with the challenging times ahead for the town I think it's time to lean on experince and past practice," he said. "I think Ron's experience with elected officials at the state level and the federal level is a huge step up for us. ... I think it kind of re-establishes Clarksburg as open and willing to work with the state officials for all kinds of assistance."
Norcross said he's been working with McKinney the last couple weeks "and there's a lot of work. It's not about being a salesman." He thought Malloy had the leg up because of her grant writing and managing.
"I just feel everything else can be learned. She doesn't have any baggage at all and she gets along with everybody," he said. "Just becausee you know a politician doesn't mean you're going to get the grants."
Haskins and Andrews felt Malloy could be a great asset to the town in some role, possibly as a future administrator, and Andrews noted that Boucher had described himself as transitional.
"I think in the next five years, I have made this pretty clear, I think we're somewhere in the crossroads of the direction the town's going to take and where we go next," he said. "I just feel strongly at this point, Ron's the person to guide us through these difficult waters we're about to encroach on."
In other business, Haskins said he'd contacted a roofing company to take a look at the leaking school roof. He'd hoped to find a Band-Aid but the roof found no visible holes to patch did note "it's very spongy up there."
There were apparently two issues with the roof: an ice dam that backed up and leaked water into the gym area and some separate leaks in the classroom.
Norcross said he had spoken with a state official who would resume talks after the holidays. The town is still hoping for a now years-old state earmark of $500,000 for emergency repairs to the roof be released.
