Oak Bluffs Select Board creates seven‑member Town Administrator search nominating subcommittee

The Oak Bluffs Select Board voted unanimously on Feb. 17 to form a seven‑person nominating subcommittee to screen applicants for the town’s Town Administrator search.

Select Person Mark Leonard and others said they wanted a cross‑section of community perspectives on the committee — including members of advisory committees, a department head or designee, a representative of the business community, and a Town Administrator from another municipality. The board passed a motion to make the nominating subcommittee seven members and then voted to include the Select Board chair, the Finance and Advisory Committee chair (or designee), and the Parks Commission chair (or designee) as named seats.

Town Administrator Deborah Potter said the office will advertise one public seat for two weeks and solicit interest from department heads; she will forward names of department heads who volunteer. The board discussed asking the Oak Bluffs Business Association to nominate a representative but declined to limit the seat to OBA membership in order to keep the opportunity open to other business owners.

Board members said the subcommittee’s role is to narrow the applicant pool to a short list of finalists for the Select Board to interview. The Select Board will conduct final interviews from the short list provided by the subcommittee.

Next steps: the town office will advertise and solicit applicants for the public‑member slot; interested department heads will be forwarded to the Select Board for consideration.