New Nahant COA director expected to be appointed at selectmen meeting tonight

The director of the Council on Aging (COA) is stepping down after a little more than three years on the job, but selectmen are expected to appoint her replacement tonight.Outgoing COA Director Diane Desmond, who declined to be interviewed, is retiring this month. The Board of Directors is expected to recommend Willow Road resident Linda Spinucci-Peterson to the position this week.?I’m excited,” Peterson said. “It’s a good match. When I left the corporate world four years ago my goal was to work with the aging baby boomers. Being a baby boomer myself, I feel I have a lot to offer the boomers of Nahant.”Peterson said if appointed she will work to get younger senior citizens involved in COA programs and will rely on feedback from seniors to develop programs.?The senior population is expanding and we need to find ways to meet their needs,” she said. “I know I can work with the Board of Directors because they have already expressed a willingness to expand programming.”Peterson said she has been working with senior citizens for four years and loves it.She teaches senior fitness classes at the Marblehead/Swampscott YMCA and in Nahant.Nahant Town Administrator Mark Cullinan said the position was advertised as 19 hours per week and it pays $14,000 to $17,000 annually.Council On Aging Board of Directors member Sheila Hambleton said there is a consensus among board members that Peterson is a good fit for the position.Calls to several other COA board members were not returned on Tuesday.