Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
The Massachusetts Select Board Association hosted a training covering best practices in hiring a town manager with panelists (clockwise from top left) Attorney John Clifford, Norwell Selectman Ellen Allen, Danvers Town Manager Steve Bartha, and Auburn Town Manager Julie Jacobson.
On Oct. 27, the Massachusetts Select Board Association hosted a free virtual training covering best practices in hiring a town manager, one of the most important jobs for select boards across the state.
The session covered the implications that the public hiring process has for town manager candidates, the importance of using professional recruiters in the hiring process, developing interview questions, setting a salary range, and negotiating and drafting a contract.
The panelists were:
• Norwell Selectman Ellen Allen, second vice president of the Massachusetts Select Board Association and immediate past president of the MMA
• Auburn Town Manager Julie Jacobson, president of the Massachusetts Municipal Management Association
• Danvers Town Manager Steve Bartha, second vice president of the Management Association
• Attorney John Clifford, a partner at Clifford & Kenny, LLP
The panelists shared a number of resources available to select boards, including the ICMA’s Recruitment Guidelines and the Management Association’s Massachusetts Recruitment Guidelines Handbook.
They also responded to a range of questions on issues like residency requirements for town managers, best practices for engaging recruitment firms, the impact of COVID-19 on manager recruitment, and annual reviews for town managers.
More than 80 select board members attended the webinar.