The Northfield Town board voted to appoint Steve McKenzie as interim town manager on a motion by Mary, seconded by Dave, and then went into executive session to discuss the proposed contract.

The appointment followed a presentation that said the town had worked with the Vermont League of Cities and Towns (VLCT) and Bill Frasier to identify a candidate. Moderator introduced McKenzie as a municipal professional and the board moved to appoint him; the moderator called for the question, members indicated assent and the moderator declared the motion passed, welcoming McKenzie as interim manager for the Town of Northfield.

Why it matters: The appointment comes as the town approaches budget season and the board discussed how a part-time interim manager would handle immediate priorities and handoffs. McKenzie told the board he planned a 20-hour week schedule — generally 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. plus attendance at board meetings — and said he would rely on staff support to accomplish work.

Board discussion and logistics: Members asked about a start date, with January 5 mentioned as a target if it worked for the board and candidate. The board discussed equipping the interim manager with a town laptop and a town manager email (manager@northfield.vt.us suggested) and enabling remote file access so the interim manager could work from home when needed. The budget committee reported a timeline and identified six departments for in-person budget review: highway, fire, ambulance, police, pool and grounds/facilities.

Public participation and allegation: During public comment an unidentified resident accused an individual identified in the exchange as “Gomez” of removing or circulating personnel material from a police department file and said the behavior had occurred over months. The resident said they planned to “be going to the federal prosecutors in Burlington to pursue this.” The moderator responded that the board had received the material and said the town would investigate where it came from.

Next steps: The board voted to move into executive session to address the interim manager contract and legal matters; the moderator set a time and confirmed attendees would include the manager and Bill Frasier. Separately, VLCT’s representative said the town would receive a questionnaire after the holidays to gather board and staff input and would hold a kickoff meeting, likely in mid-January, to set the public recruitment advertisement and schedule for hiring a permanent manager.

The meeting closed the virtual public portion and the board proceeded to executive session to finalize contract and legal discussions.