Lackluster administrator search concerns Nahant officials

NAHANT – Town officials expressed concern that Town Administrator Mark Cullinan’s Nov. 5 retirement date may leave the community without a municipal leader, as the search committee has yet to discuss the more than 60 applicants for the job and recommend finalists to the selectmen.”It’s possible that we might not have somebody up and running by the time [Cullinan] leaves,” acknowledged Town Administrator Search Committee Chair Carl Easton on Thursday. “But we’re making every conceivable effort to advance a slate of finalists to the board of selectmen so that they could make a timely decision.”Cullinan officially notified town officials Friday, June 24 that he planned to retire in November after 17 years as town administrator. The appointed Town Administrator Search Committee held its first meeting at the beginning of August, and applications for the position are due by Sept. 19, according to Easton. So far, he said that the committee has received nearly 70 applications. The committee will narrow the field of candidates to between three and six finalists who will be presented to the selectmen, Easton said. Selectmen will then evaluate the candidates.But late last week, the committee informed the Selectmen that the process could take longer than anticipated. Selectmen requested at their Sept. 8 meeting that Cullinan begin to prepare a framework of the 2012 budget, as the new town administrator would begin right around the time when that process typically begins.On Thursday, Cullinan said that he is working on that budget framework ?despite not knowing some big-ticket items such as health and pension costs – as well as a transition plan. He said he hopes to present that plan to his replacement in person.”I just hope they can get someone in here, actually even a few weeks before [Nov. 5] would be nice ? we’re at the beginning of the budget season,” Cullinan said. “The sooner they can get in, the better. It just gives me more time to work with them and transition.”Selectman Chair Lainey Titus shared the concern.”On the town’s end, it would be real important to have gotten through the process in a timely manner, to make sure that we have somebody there,” she said. “That’s why we’ve asked them to move up the process and make it as efficient as it needs to be,” she noted, requesting that the committee meet more often as the deadline approaches.Easton said that the committee planned to take this advice. But he also noted that potential candidates’ availability for interviews was a major unknown element of the upcoming timeline.Cullinan and Selectman Mike Manning expressed confidence, however, that the town’s department heads n?every one of whom Cullinan said was “at the top of their game” – could handle a temporary vacant town administrator’s office.”We’re looking at contingency procedures about what we would do in the interim – but I don’t think the delay would be long,” Manning said. He added that there were several people in town who he felt could serve as an interim town manager and that such an arrangement was common.”In fact, Mark served as the interim director while we were interviewing candidates,” Manning noted.