Canton to begin search for new town administrator

Town Administrator Bill Friel, who has served as the town’s executive secretary and town administrator for the past 25 years, will retire next February 1, 2016, giving the town a year to select his replacement.

Friel’s contract was set to end on June 30, but selectmen opted to extend it another seven months at the current salary in order to lengthen the search period. Selectmen Chairman Victor Del Vecchio said the board hopes to make a choice by next January 1, which would give the new town administrator 30 days to work with Friel before he officially steps down.

Del Vecchio made the announcement at the end of last week’s selectmen’s meeting, which was bumped to Thursday due to the January 27 snowstorm. It was the second major announcement of its kind in the past two weeks, following Selectman Sal Salvatori’s decision not to seek reelection in the April town election.

“I reluctantly make this announcement,” Del Vecchio said of Friel’s impending retirement.

He asked Jody Middleton, the town’s human resources administrator, to begin the search process.

The position of town administrator is vital to the overall function of local government and is akin to a chief executive officer for the municipality. The administrator is in charge of day-to-day municipal operations, supervises town department heads except for the School Department, and serves in an advisory and communications role to the Board of Selectmen, Finance Committee, and other town boards and committees.

See this week’s Canton Citizen for more highlights from the January 29 BOS meeting, including details on a proposed hotel and restaurant, an update on the Plymouth Rubber development agreement, FY16 budget requests, and more. Not a subscriber? Click here to order your subscription today.

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Posted by Mike Berger on Feb 5 2015. Filed under News, Town Government. Both comments and pings are currently closed.