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The Select Board voted Monday to elevate Town Clerk MaryEllen Marshall to serve as interim town manager during a leadership transition, following the departure of Interim Town Manager Stephen Delaney at the end of the year.
The board’s action assigns Marshall to the interim role to maintain continuity in the town’s executive administration until a new town manager begins work. The appointment is temporary and does not indicate permanence or an outcome beyond the interim designation.
Delaney had been serving as interim town manager while the town conducted a search for a permanent replacement. His departure at year’s end created a gap in executive leadership the Select Board said required immediate internal coverage to ensure municipal operations continue without interruption.
In December, the Select Board voted to offer the town manager position to Christopher Senior, former town manager of Cohasset.
Marshall will continue to serve as town clerk while assuming interim town manager duties. The Select Board has said the interim appointment will last until the new town manager begins work, which hasn’t been disclosed. Board members have said the arrangement would be revisited if the transition extends longer.
The interim appointment comes as the town is addressing time-sensitive matters that require executive oversight, including budget planning, statutory deadlines and scheduling decisions tied to upcoming town actions.
During recent Select Board meetings, Marshall has been referenced in connection with agenda planning, warrant timelines and procedural requirements related to those matters.
Marshall has served as Winchester town clerk since January 2006. In that role, she has overseen elections, Town Meeting administration, public records and other duties required under state law and local bylaws. Her experience with municipal procedures and statutory deadlines was cited by board members as a factor in selecting an internal interim option during the transition.
As interim town manager, Marshall is assuming responsibilities typically associated with the town’s chief administrative officer, including coordination with departments and implementation of policies set by the Select Board. The board has emphasized the role is limited in scope and duration and is intended solely to bridge the transition period.
The leadership change playing out follows the resignation of former Town Manager Beth Rudolph, whose last day was Sept. 3. Delaney was appointed interim town manager following Rudolph’s departure and was initially expected to remain in the role until a permanent town manager began work.
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.
