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Select board subcommittee and Park & Rec set August interviews to fill seat vacated by Chris Gerstel
Summary
A Select Board subcommittee and the Park and Recreation Commission agreed to hold 5–10 minute public interviews at a late‑August Park & Rec meeting, notify applicants via SharePoint, and aim for Select Board action on Sept. 8; the application period closes Aug. 7 at 5 p.m.
The Chair of the Select Board subcommittee opened a joint meeting with the Park & Recreation Commission to plan the appointment to the seat vacated by Chris Gerstel in June. The Chair said the application period remains open and “It'll it'll be open, continue to be open until August 7 at 5PM, so this Friday.”
Committee members and staff agreed to use an existing Park & Rec meeting to conduct interviews so Select Board members who are available can attend. One committee member urged speed, saying, “I would love to have this filled by beginning of September,” noting the board currently operates with four members and needs a full complement for quorum stability during the school year.
The group discussed two interview formats: public interviews at the Park & Rec meeting or separate smaller sessions with just the facilitators. The Chair said they preferred hosting the interviews in an open session and proposed 5–10 minutes per candidate at the August meeting, with deliberation afterward by the two facilitators and input from other members in attendance. Staff described a recent precedent for this approach and confirmed the Sept. 8 Select Board meeting would be a joint session of both bodies.
Staff told the group the applications are available on the town SharePoint and are public records: “They're on our the SharePoint that I know you have access to.” The Chair asked staff to notify current applicants of the interview plan and to invite Select Board members who are able to attend. The committee also agreed to post the vacancy on Facebook to widen outreach and to schedule a brief follow‑up to finalize interview questions.
Next steps: staff will share applicant materials, the committees will finalize a set of standard questions, interviews will be scheduled at the late‑August Park & Rec meeting (noted in the meeting as Aug. 24/25 timing to be confirmed), and the Select Board expects to take a vote on any recommendation at its Sept. 8 meeting. The facilitators can recommend more than one candidate to the full boards.
