Top choice for Marblehead light chief drops out

MARBLEHEAD – In a surprising turn of events the Municipal Light Commission?s choice for light department general manager, one of the town?s highest-paid positions, has dropped out to take a job in the private sector.The Municipal Light Commission chose former Manassas, Va. Electrical Utility Plant Deputy Director Gregg Paulson from a field of three candidates on Feb. 15Current General Manager Robert Jolly plans to retire this month. Paulson?s decision will send the commissioners back to the search process in hopes of replacing Jolly as soon as possible.Paulson was in town Feb. 29 to negotiate a contract and returned home abruptly Thursday.?Everything seemed to be going along on course,” Commission Chairman Philip Sweeney said Tuesday. “After the (Feb. 29) meeting we had dinner, and I asked him to visit Abbot Hall and the Mary Alley offices with me and tour the light plant with Bob Jolly Thursday morning.”?We were supposed to meet at 10:30 a.m. He didn?t show up. I called his cell and he was at the airport, he said he got his departure times mixed up. I had a bad feeling about it, he was supposed to come back March 9 and start work March 12. I sent him two emails saying we were concerned about his commitment, and Sunday I got an email saying he had anguished over this but he was taking a position with a national consulting firm.”Sweeney noted in an ironic tone that Paulson concluded his email with an offer to act as a consultant for the town. “I thought he exhibited some monumental chutzpah,” Sweeney said. “I think what he did was a bit unprofessional.”?We?ll march on,” he added. “We had some good candidates.” He said the commission could be meeting next week to consider its alternatives, which include re-interviewing the other two finalists.Those finalists included Marblehead Municipal Light Department Chief Engineer Jay Anderson and Danvers Director of Engineering Hamid Jaffari. Peabody Associate Electrical Engineer Roy Simoes was interviewed but was not a finalist. In a Feb. 15 poll of the commissioners Paulson received votes from Commissioners Charles Phillips, Walter Homan and Sweeney. Jaffari was supported by Calvin Crawford and Wilbur Bassett.