NAHANT — Town Administrator Jeff Chelgren has been placed on paid administrative leave and is expected to resign from his position.
“The town and Mr. Chelgren have agreed to part ways and go in different directions,” said Enzo Barile, chairman of the Board of Selectmen. “Mr. Chelgren will be on a period of leave and will be resigning from his position as town administrator with the town. We thank Jeff for his service to the town and wish him all of the best in his future endeavors.”
The Item was unable to reach Chelgren by phone or email Monday.
Barile declined to comment on what led to the decision, but said it was made in an executive session Thursday night following a regularly scheduled Board of Selectmen meeting. Chelgren’s last day was on Friday.
“We’re going in different directions,” he said.
Chelgren accepted the job in March 2015. His three-year contract is not set to expire until June 2018. He will continue to be paid throughout the remainder of his contract, said Barile.
A search committee will form in the next few days to find an interim administrator who will assume the role within the next two weeks, said Barile.
After an attempt to reach Chelgren by email, administrative assistant Mary Ellen Schumann said he was no longer with the town and that she is receiving his emails until an interim administrator is appointed.
Before his time in Nahant, Chelgren, of Lynn, served as the town administrator of Marblehead, where he resigned about four months before his three-year contract expired.
Until someone is chosen to fill his shoes, staff at town hall and members of the board will step in with day-to-day tasks.
“We have a good crew up there — a good bunch of people to help,” said Barile. “It’s a crazy time with Town Meeting coming up but we’ll figure it out.”
Bridget Turcotte can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @BridgetTurcotte.
