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The following was submitted by the Winchester Select Board:
Dear Winchester Residents:
We are pleased to announce that the Select Board has chosen Stephen Delaney to serve as Acting Town Manager. The Board will take a formal vote to appoint Stephen at our Sept. 8 meeting with his first day expected to be Sept. 10.
Stephen comes highly recommended to the Select Board having successfully executed several senior interim leadership roles, most recently as acting town manager in Winchendon, Mass. and Coventry, R.I., and before that interim head of human resources roles in Belmont and Lexington.
Stephen also has significant full time town manager experience, including more than 15 years in Wenham and Georgetown.
After discussing the position with a number of candidates and interviewing three finalists, the Select Board is confident Stephen will be a steady, experienced leader while overseeing the Town’s continued smooth operation. Appointing Stephen will also allow Winchester’s highly capable department heads to continue to focus on their departments with the support of a veteran manager. Stephen will not be a candidate for the full-time role.
At the same time, we have launched our search for a permanent town manager. The Select Board has chosen to partner with external consultants who have considerable experience advising towns on their search processes.
The first phase of the search, candidate screening, will be led by two Select Board members, supported by our consultants, a senior member of the Town’s leadership, and some experienced community members.
In the second phase of the process, the board will convene in public session to interview finalists and choose the Town Manager.
We appreciate that there is a great deal in flight in Winchester, from negotiations with our collective bargaining units to preparation for Fall Town Meeting to the continued work of the State of the Town financial planning effort. The Select Board has been meeting frequently with town staff to ensure that all priorities remain on track and will continue to do so while Stephen serves as the Acting Town Manger.
We appreciate, as always, the continued support of our dedicated staff, volunteers and residents. Please feel free to reach out to any of us with questions, comments, or concerns.
Sincerely,
Michelle Prior, Chair
Anthea Brady, Vice Chair
Michael Bettencourt
William McGonigle
Paras Bhayani
