Council creates 7-member town-administrator search committee, names council liaison and six members

Richmond — The Town Council voted Wednesday to create a town-administrator search and hiring committee and to appoint seven members to begin screening applicants for the next town administrator.

The council discussed recommended committee sizes at length before formalizing the panel. Councilors debated configurations between three and seven members, raising trade-offs between scheduling difficulty and diversity of viewpoints. Several councilors said a larger committee would provide broader community perspectives and staff experience; others argued a smaller group would be easier to convene and manage.

Councilor Jim moved to create a six-member committee (three residents, two staff, and one council member) but the council later amended the decision and expanded the committee to seven members. The council then appointed Councilor Jim Palmisano as the council liaison and approved a set of residents and staff to serve on the body. Appointments announced during the meeting were:

- Council liaison: Councilor Jim Palmisano - Chief (Elder) Johnson, representing public safety (appointed by motion) - Danielle Andrews, Finance Director (appointed) - William Day (resident appointee) - Laura Reager (appeared in materials as applicant, appointed) - Robin Woodmancy (resident appointee) - Gary Parker (resident appointee)

The panel will include staff members to provide operational context and residents to represent public perspectives. The council directed the newly formed committee to follow procedures in the town charter that require it to submit a minimum of two recommended candidates to the council; the committee may forward more than two recommendations if it chooses. Councilors emphasized the committee should provide structured, consistent interview questions and fair evaluation of all applicants.

Applicants who spoke at the meeting gave brief remarks describing qualifications and interest. Several applicants cited prior municipal or human-resources experience; many told councilors they wanted to help recruit a leader who can sustain the town’s operations and support employees. The council asked the committee to submit recommendations to the council when the body finishes interviews.

The motion to create and fill the committee passed on roll-call vote after discussion about quorum, staff participation and timelines. Councilors stressed that while the committee must represent a cross-section of perspectives, it must also be able to function efficiently and return multiple candidates for council consideration.