By Jeffrey Epstein
The Selectmen appointed the Town Manager Screening Committee on Monday, May 7, immediately following the second round of interviews for the five volunteer slots. The organizational meeting of the committee is scheduled for Thursday, May 10.
The Selectmen unanimously named chair William Moonan and Margot Fleischman as their representatives to the panel, and Betsey Anderson, Anne Bickford, James Mabry, Emily Prince, and Maureen Valente to the other five positions. Anderson, a former Selectman and Town Moderator, was interviewed in the first round, as was former School Committee member Bickford. Mabry is the president of Middlesex Community College, which has its original campus in Bedford. Valente has resided in Bedford for 25 years and served for 15 years as the town manager for Sudbury. Prince, a lawyer, is a newcomer to Bedford arriving in 2016. Her inclusion aligns with the stated goal of the Selectmen, particularly Caroline Fedele, that the panel include both recent and long-time residents of the town.
As with the first round, each of Monday’s candidates received interviews of about 10 minutes each, and the Selectmen made a point of being consistent. They asked similar questions of each candidate, usually in the same order. The candidates were also consistent and similar in outlook, all calling for an experienced, knowledgeable Town Manager who could lead the town staff and effectively communicate with all employees and board and committee members.
Each also took the opportunity to call the Selectmen’s attention to individual strengths. Mabry noted that his role at Middlesex Community College calls for many job interviews and work with search consultants. He also mentioned his recommendation that the Town Manager Screening Committee take some organizational time upfront. “You have to spend some time getting the committee in sync,” he said. Valente mentioned her membership in a municipal managers’ association, while Prince told the Selectmen “I could be a voice for young families.”
The candidates interviewed Monday but not selected for the committee were Cindy Barbehenn, Noreen O’Gara, Carolyn Weaver and Kristina Philipson. In addition, there were two other candidates: Mark Siegenthaler applied but withdrew before being interviewed. Stacy Swider also applied but was unable to attend either of the interview sessions.
Once the interviews were completed, the Selectmen turned their attention to the panel composition, starting with their own representatives. Without an established procedure to go by, this initially appeared awkward. The brief discussion soon made clear, however, that Michael Rosenberg, Edward Pierce, and Caroline Fedele all had some schedule challenges, and they were reluctant to stand after insisting that the citizen members attend all the meetings. Thus, the board quickly moved, seconded, and passed Moonan and Fleischman as the attending members with a vote of 5-0-0.
Moonan then suggested each member simply write down the names of their five preferred volunteer members and see if there was a consensus. There was, with each successful candidate receiving at least three votes, and Anderson and Mabry each receiving five votes.
No other business was handled, as this irregular meeting was specifically called to continue interviews and name the committee.
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