SAUGUS — The Housing Authority Board of Directors voted unanimously on Wednesday to enter into contract negotiations with Katelynn Lemieux for its executive director post, which is set to be vacated by Laura Glynn.
Lemieux emerged as the board’s choice from a trio of candidates, who were interviewed in late January, after a pair of executive-session meetings in which members debated how best to replace the departing Glynn. Glynn, who has held the post of executive director since 2013, will likely depart in April to take care of her parents.
Lemieux, the executive director of the Wilmington Housing Authority, beat out former Middleborough and Needham Housing Authority Executive Director Maria Medeiros and former Swampscott Housing Authority Executive Director Irma Chez for the post.
Board Chair Bill Stewart said Lemieux was deemed the most qualified of the three candidates because of her experience.
“She was far more qualified than the other two,” he said in a brief interview following the meeting. “The other two had very little experience as managers. Katelynn, on the other hand, had quite a bit of experience.”
While the motion to begin contract negotiations with Lemieux cleared the board unanimously, members seemed slightly lukewarm on the decision, clearly lamenting Glynn’s departure.
“We’ll never get another one like her,” said Dorothy Bockus, the tenant-appointed member of the board, who has served since 2007 and was part of the board that hired Glynn.
Bockus said two of the board’s five members wanted to reopen the search to replace Glynn and bring in additional candidates for interviews, but were ultimately swayed after discussions with other members.
Still, when asked if she was confident in the decision to hire Lemieux, Bockus said, “I’ll give her the year.”
“We’ll know in the meetings, how the reports are coming,” she said.
Bockus did hail Lemieux’s knowledge of the Common Housing Application for Massachusetts Programs system, which she said is difficult to navigate.
Lemieux’s appointment is contingent not just on successful contract negotiations with the town-level board, but also state approval of her contract. Glynn noted during the meeting that the state dictates how much can be paid to a housing authority’s executive director, and said that the Saugus position was listed with a salary of around $112,000.
“The board really doesn’t have any flexibility around salary,” she said.
Glynn said she was told state-level review of the contract agreed to by the board and Lemieux would take “a couple weeks” as long as the position was advertised correctly and the board operated correctly in moving to hire Lemieux.
Stewart and fellow Board member Maureen Whitcomb were set to meet with Lemieux on Tuesday to begin contract negotiations.
