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Winchester residents have multiple opportunities this week to meet, observe and learn about the three finalists competing to become the town’s next town manager, Select Board member Anthea Brady announced on Monday.
The schedule includes formal Select Board interviews, a less formal community session where residents can ask questions and meet candidates face-to-face and a capital project presentation session. The finalists are Eric Duffy, municipal manager in Woodstock, Vt.; Joseph Domelowicz Jr., town manager in Hamilton; and Christopher Senior, former town manager in Cohasset.
Brady emphasized that Thursday afternoon’s community session offers residents their best chance to interact directly with the candidates. The event, running from 3:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 18, will be hosted by the Winchester Chamber of Commerce and is open to chamber members, local nonprofits, Town Meeting members and all residents.
Unlike the more formal Select Board interviews, the community session is designed for informal conversation rather than structured question-and-answer. Each candidate will give a five-minute introduction and attendees will have the opportunity to submit feedback forms about the finalists.
The week’s events begin Wednesday evening with formal Select Board interviews at Winchester Town Hall, 71 Mt. Vernon St. Residents are invited to attend and observe as board members interview each candidate. The sessions will be recorded but not broadcast live. Duffy’s interview begins at 6:15 p.m., followed by Domelowicz at 7:15 p.m. and Senior at 8:15 p.m.
Thursday evening from 6-9 p.m., candidates will return to Town Hall for presentations and discussion with the Select Board. Each finalist will deliver a three- to five-minute presentation on a significant capital project they led, followed by questions from board members and a series of 10-minute topic discussions.
The search to replace Beth Rudolph, who resigned unexpectedly in July, comes as Winchester confronts significant fiscal pressures and aging infrastructure needs. Finance Committee chair Derek Ross has warned of projected operating deficits of roughly $3 million to $5 million in coming years as expenses outpace revenue growth under Proposition 2½.
The 25-member State of the Town Committee is working toward a comprehensive fiscal plan that will likely include an operating override on the March 2026 ballot. Meanwhile, Winchester faces more than $100 million in capital needs over the next five years, including about $20 million in downtown improvements requiring outside funding.
The three finalists bring diverse experience managing communities with multimillion-dollar budgets.
Domelowicz has served as town manager in Hamilton since 2017, overseeing a fiscal 2025 operating budget of approximately $35 million for the North Shore community of about 8,000 residents. Before Hamilton, he worked as town administrator in Ipswich and held assistant positions in Danvers.
Duffy has served as municipal manager in Vermont since 2019, managing town operations, budget preparation and capital projects for the community of approximately 3,000 residents. He previously worked in municipal administration in Stoneham.
Senior most recently served as town manager in Cohasset, where he oversaw a fiscal 2025 operating budget of approximately $45 million for the South Shore community of about 8,000 residents.
The Select Board expects to make a final decision in late December, with the new manager’s start date dependent on the selected candidate’s availability. The position’s starting salary range is anticipated to be $225,000 or more.
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Schedule of events
Wednesday, Dec. 17
Formal Select Board interviews, Winchester Town Hall, 71 Mt. Vernon St. (public invited to observe, will be recorded but not broadcast live)
• 6:15 p.m.: Eric Duffy
• 7:15 p.m.: Joseph Domelowicz Jr.
• 8:15 p.m.: Christopher Senior
Thursday, Dec. 18
— Community meet and greet, 3:30-6:30 p.m. (informal session, open to all residents, feedback forms available)
— Capital project presentations and Select Board discussion, Winchester Town Hall, 71 Mt. Vernon St., 6-9 p.m.
Will Dowd is a Massachusetts journalist who covers municipal government and community life for Winchester News. He previously co-founded the Marblehead Current and now runs The Marblehead Independent, a reader-funded digital newsroom.
