Andover's Board of Selectmen moved quickly to arrange coverage for the town administrator role after the administrator (identified in the meeting only as Eric) described his departure and recommended a short-term replacement.

A board of finance member told the board during public comment: "I'm extremely concerned about the situation that we're in right now losing Eric because we rely on [the] administrator heavily" during the budgeting process, adding that Eric's institutional knowledge would be difficult to replace.

Eric addressed the board and urged an interim appointment to protect continuity. "So my thoughts are pretty simple: hire an interim ... to get through the next 3 to 6 months," he said, offering Jim Bolano as a recommended interim candidate and noting Bolano had served in that capacity for other municipalities and was recommended by NECOG staff and local officials.

Why it matters: Board members and commenters said the town administrator plays a central role in budget preparation, intergovernmental relations and routine operations, and they flagged several boards and regional organizations the town must remain represented on — including the Eastern Iowa Health District board, the Mid Northeast Recycling Consortium, the Hop River Trail Alliance and the Capital Region Council of Governments.

What the board agreed to do: Members arranged to invite Jim Bolano and a second potential candidate to meet the board on Monday in a public session (the board identified a 9–10 a.m. slot in the community room and discussed offering Zoom participation). They also scheduled their Nov. 10 meeting to focus on the permanent hiring plan, including whether to widen the salary range and retain an executive search firm.

Process and next steps discussed at the meeting included:

- Interim coverage and timing: Eric recommended hiring an interim with a goal of having that person overlap with Eric for a short period (Eric suggested around a Nov. 1 overlap) so institutional knowledge could be transferred.

- Salary survey and search firm: The board discussed commissioning a salary survey through CCM to understand market pay for town administrators and considered hiring an executive search firm (board members and staff mentioned MRI and Randy Frank as examples) to manage a thorough recruitment.

- Documentation of duties: Eric emphasized using his remaining weeks to document the tasks he performs and the town's external relationships to give the interim and future permanent administrator a working playbook.

- Regulatory and representation matters: The board was reminded that certain traffic-authority actions require a state-certified local traffic authority designee (state training and certification), and the lack of a certified designee would limit the town's ability to enact certain traffic signage or signal decisions until a qualified person is in place.

No formal appointment or vote to hire an interim occurred at the meeting. The only formal action recorded in the transcript was a motion to adjourn, which was seconded and carried by voice vote.

Quotes from the meeting are limited to speakers identified in the transcript: a board of finance member said the town will "lose a huge" amount of knowledge with Eric's departure; Eric urged the board to "hire an interim ... to get through the next 3 to 6 months" and recommended Jim Bolano as a candidate.

Next scheduled steps: The board asked staff and members to reach out to the suggested candidates, gather availability and materials, and to consult the town charter provisions on forming a hiring committee before the Nov. 10 meeting. The board also asked staff to explore a CCM salary survey and to contact the two recommended executive search firms to understand scope and cost.

Ending: Board members and public commenters reiterated appreciation for Eric's service and urged a measured but rapid approach to the interim placement and permanent search to protect budgeting and regional relationships.