McGinn will bring dollars sense as Marblehead head

MARBLEHEAD – John McGinn’s ascension to the town administrator’s job came with little debate and even less fanfare.Originally, the Board of Selectmen was to discuss the issue of replacing outgoing administrator Jeff Chelgren – who announced his resignation in October – at its Nov. 19 meeting. However, once McGinn let it be known he was interested in assuming the town’s top post, there wasn’t much discussion needed, even though the standard search process hadn’t begun.”I had expressed some interest in being considered for the position,” McGinn said Tuesday. “The selectmen were, I guess, very receptive to that.”McGinn, 60, has been finance director for Marblehead for about a decade and is certainly familiar with the town – and with government finance.He described a career path that started in state government. He served as budget director for Tom Birmingham, former president of the state Senate, and worked in finance roles at three different state agencies. He meanwhile gained additional city government experience by serving on the Peabody School Committee for four years, and then serving on the City Council for 12 years.McGinn became finance director for the city of Somerville in January 2003. Then he recalled how his wife saw an advertisement for a finance director position in Marblehead.”As someone who had commuted in and out of Boston for years and then into Somerville for two years, this was a big quality-of-life change,” McGinn recalled.So he switched to town government.”I’ve been involved with budgeting for a long time, and it’s the same at various levels,” McGinn said. “At the city and then state, it’s just more zeroes.”McGinn said he wasn’t too nervous moving from crunching numbers to the town’s most visible governmental role.And he admitted he wasn’t too surprised when selectmen Jackie Belf-Becker, Judy Jacobi and Jim Nye voted unanimously Nov. 19 to appoint McGinn. He will take over for Chelgren Jan. 1 pending successful contract negotiations.”In a small town, you have to wear a lot of hats…” McGinn said. “It’s not like I’m an unknown commodity, I’ve been involved in a lot of issues that affect the town.”McGinn and Chelgren both said that they anticipated a “seamless transition.””John’s an excellent candidate,” Chelgren said Wednesday. “He’s been with the town for 10 years, he understands the town’s systems, processes and finances, and I think the town will be well served by his role as town administrator.”Chelgren declined to discuss specific future plans or specify reasons for resigning.McGinn said that his financial background should be particularly valuable this year, as all the town’s collective bargaining agreements will be ending at the close of the fiscal year. He identified these negotiations as the major issue currently facing the town – noting that the town was “in the mode of finishing up” existing (rather than anticipating new) major capital projects. As for becoming the one who deals with Headers’ daily quality-of-life issues (including those in the police log that Daily Item readers often find so entertaining) McGinn said, “first and foremost, you’ve got to listen to people.”Then he said you have to know how to filter out all but the most salient issue to reach a resolution – which he said his knowledge of the town’s employees, departmental functions and volunteer boards would help him do.”Part of why I’m comfortable in taking on a new role is that I really have grown to respect my colleagues who work here and think we have a great group of volunteer boards,” McGinn said. “All they want to do is do what’s right for the town, and I’m looking forward to working with them in a new capacity.”