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Christopher Senior will earn $230,000 in his first year as Winchester’s town manager under a contract that ties a potential second year to a performance evaluation the Select Board must complete by September.
The employment agreement, signed Jan. 9 by Senior and Select Board Chair Michelle Prior, covers the period from Jan. 14 through Dec. 31, with a one-year renewal option extending through Dec. 31, 2027. If the contract is renewed, Senior’s salary would increase 2.5% to $235,750.
The renewal hinges on an evaluation the board must complete by Sept. 30, resulting in an overall rating of at least “satisfactory” and a preference from a majority of the board to continue the arrangement.
If the board does not complete the review by that deadline, Senior has the right to exercise the renewal on his own by providing written notice no later than Oct. 15.
Senior, a Hull resident who previously served 12 years as Cohasset’s town manager, was sworn in Jan. 14 in a ceremony at Winchester Town Hall. Town Clerk MaryEllen Marshall administered the oath in the Select Board room, with all five board members present alongside Town Moderator Philip Frattaroli and municipal staff.
His appointment brings Winchester its first permanent town manager since Beth Rudolph’s departure in September. The town cycled through interim leadership in the months that followed, including Stephen Delaney, who served from September through Dec. 31, and Marshall, who stepped in as acting town manager until Senior’s start date.
Two other finalists withdrew during the search process before the board voted Dec. 22 to offer Senior the position. The board worked with consultant Mary Aicardi of the Collins Center for Public Management to develop the contract terms.
Richard Rohan, a Precinct 2 Town Meeting member who has been involved in town government for more than 20 years, attended the swearing-in ceremony and said he welcomed the hire.
“We’re just starting down the runway, and we’ve got a good, solid pilot here,” Rohan said.
What else is in the contract?
The town manager contract requires Senior and the board to establish initial goals and objectives by Feb. 28 and a second set by June 30. The evaluation that determines whether the contract extends into a second year is due by Sept. 30.
Under the agreement, Senior receives five weeks of paid vacation per year, though he was advanced two weeks for the period from his start date through June 30. He may carry over up to two weeks of unused vacation into the following calendar year and can sell back up to two weeks at the end of each year with written notice to the board by Dec. 1.
Senior was also advanced five days of sick leave on his first day. Additional sick time accrues under the town’s personnel policy.
The town will provide Senior with a cellphone and laptop at its expense. He has access to the town’s health insurance plan on the same terms as other full-time nonunion employees, or he may opt out and receive a $7,500 annual contribution to a 457(b) deferred compensation plan.
Winchester will also reimburse Senior up to $2,500 per year toward the cost of a long-term disability insurance policy.
If the board terminates Senior without cause before the contract expires, he is entitled to a prorated lump-sum severance equal to three months’ salary plus accrued benefits.
Termination for cause — which the agreement defines as including neglect, insubordination, misconduct or failure to perform duties competently — does not trigger severance.
If Senior chooses to resign before the end of his term, the agreement requires 90 days’ written notice.
Senior is not required to live in Winchester. He resides in Hull, albeit he told the News he’d be looking for something closer to Winchester.
During a Dec. 22 board meeting where Senior received the offer, Prior outlined mounting costs of the vacancy, including stalled goal-setting, delayed department head reviews tied to potential bonuses and union contract negotiations that had been put on hold.
Select Board member Paras Bhayani reported in December that a reference check praised Senior’s relationship management skills and his work helping Cohasset achieve a AAA bond rating.
Senior told Winchester News he chose not to seek renewal of his Cohasset contract because he felt it would be inappropriate to sign a new deal while actively pursuing other positions.
Town Comptroller Stacie Ward and Town Counsel Karis North also signed the agreement on Jan. 9, certifying that an appropriation for the position was available.
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.
