Marblehead offers light dept. GM job to Va. candidate

MARBLEHEAD – The Municipal Light Commissioners will offer one of the town?s highest-paid positions, general manager of the Municipal Light Department, to Manassas, Va., Electrical Utility Plant Deputy Director Gregg Paulson.The offer was made unanimous Wednesday evening. The other candidates included Marblehead Municipal Light Department Chief Engineer Jay Anderson and Danvers Director of Engineering Hamid Jaffari. Peabody Associate Electrical Engineer Roy Simoes also interviewed but was not a finalist.In a poll of the commissioners Paulson received votes from Commissioners Charles Phillips, Walter Homan and Philip Sweeney while Jaffari was supported by Calvin Crawford and Wilbur Bassett.The commissioners cited the future and the changes it may bring in their voting. “The state legislators are trying to emasculate public power companies. They want to charge us for renewable energy,” Sweeney said. “It?s hard to choose between (Paulson and Jaffari), but Paulson is heavier on the business end of experience than the technological side and he is my choice.”Following the vote, the commissioners went into executive session to discuss their contract offer.Marblehead Light Department General Manager Robert Jolly plans to retire in March after 16 years as general manager. Jolly earns in excess of $153,000 but the vacancy was advertised at a lower amount. The commissioners received 22 applications in November, and Sweeney and Phillips did the initial screening.Paulson said he is “an engineer by nature” and has become more interested in the financial side of management in the past 10 years, especially in terms of five-year and 10-year capital improvement plans. He gave detailed answers to the commission?s financial questions, drawing a graph at one point to illustrate power demand issues.