Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel Turnover topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Hubbardston select board appoints short-term point persons as town administrator placed on paid leave
Summary
The Select Board said the town administrator is on paid leave and assigned Select Board member Katie — with Peter as backup — as the point person while staff seek a temporary town administrator; residents raised concern about clustered resignations and the board said personnel matters are confidential.
The Town of Hubbardston Select Board said on Dec. 15 that the town administrator has been placed on paid leave and that the board voted in executive session to have Select Board member Katie act as the interim point person, with Peter as backup, until the board appoints a temporary town administrator.
"The town administrator is currently on paid leave," a Select Board member said after the meeting returned to open session. The board instructed staff and members of the public who need assistance from the administrator's office to contact Katie; if she is unavailable, they should contact Peter.
The announcement followed an executive session in which the board cited state law authorizing strategy sessions for negotiations with nonunion personnel and discussions required by grants and statutes. The board recorded a roll-call vote to enter executive session, with the five members responding in the affirmative.
Residents at the meeting expressed concern about the timing and clustering of recent departures. "Is there any timeframe for this leave of absence?" asked resident Bill Mayrose. The board replied that personnel matters and resignation letters are confidential and that the town administrator’s leave will continue "until further notice."
The meeting also recorded multiple recent staff changes: the board accepted an extension for executive assistant Trisha to remain through Dec. 31, accepted the resignation of assistant treasurer/collector Sarah Risch effective Dec. 30, and accepted accountant Sam Chatterton’s resignation effective Dec. 31. The board said the town is moving to hire replacements and is prioritizing the treasurer-collector, executive assistant and accountant roles to avoid disruption.
Board members said they will post a follow-up open-session meeting to consider appointing a temporary town administrator and to review staffing and recruiting progress; they penciled in a meeting for the week of Dec. 20. The board asked departments and boards to respond to a brief survey identifying outstanding projects and urgent needs while finance staff complete year-end work.
Next steps: the board will accept applications for temporary or interim administrative help, continue recruitment for vacant positions and hold another open meeting to make any formal appointment once candidate availability is clarified.
