By STEVEN JUPITER
BRANDON—After a months-long search, the Brandon Selectboard announced on Monday night that it had offered the position of town manager to Seth Hopkins. Hopkins is currently the Chair of the Selectboard and will resign from that position to assume his new role when he has signed a contract with the town. Because Board member Cecil Reniche-Smith was unable to attend Monday’s meeting, the Board postponed final contractual negotiations until the next regular Selectboard meeting on April 24.
Interim Town Manager Bill Moore, who was the other finalist for the job, will remain in that position until Mr. Hopkins officially assumes the role. Even after Mr. Hopkins becomes town manager, however, Mr. Moore will continue to have an as-yet-untitled position in “town management,” according to Board member Tim Guiles.
“I am humbled to be chosen,” said Mr. Hopkins in an email to The Reporter. “I feel that it was not so much that the person was seeking the position, but that the position was seeking the person. Bill and I have talents and skills which complement one another, and I’m eager to get to work with him and the town staff, elected and appointed boards, and so many selfless volunteers, all doing our part for the betterment of Brandon.”
“Seth has been a tremendous asset to the town in his various volunteer roles and his life and work experience coupled with my own will provide a synergy that will see Brandon grow in an exciting and financially stable manner,” said Bill Moore. “It has been my honor to fill in as interim town manager to keep momentum moving in a positive direction during the prior 2 months. This was only possible because of the strength and competence of our amazing municipal staff. This is a watershed moment for our town; there is an excitement and energy around volunteers and staff doing transformative positive things to improve our lives. As a public servant, I look forward to working with Seth to make sure Brandon reflects the current and future needs of all our residents.”
The town manager position became vacant when David Atherton unexpectedly resigned at the beginning of this year. Several special Selectboard meetings were held to solicit input from the community as to how best to search for Mr. Atherton’s replacement. At these meetings, many community members made clear their desire that the search not be limited to applicants already in Brandon and that diversity be considered. To that end, a 5-person “citizen advisory committee” was formed to help guide the Selectboard’s decision. The committee had no authority to vote on any candidate, but it participated in the interview process and gave its assessments to the Board.
One member of that committee was Town Clerk/Treasurer Sue Gage: “They interviewed four worthy candidates and Seth certainly has the skills, commitment, and vision for the town that everyone has been hoping for. It will be an easy transition. I look forward to working with him on a day-to-day level.”
In an email to The Reporter, Board member Tim Guiles expressed his support for the creation of a “management team” composed of Mr. Hopkins as town manager and Mr. Moore in a position whose title will be determined:
“Over the last 10 years, Seth, as an elected Board chair, and Bill, as rec director and economic development officer, worked closely with our past town manager to guide our town to the admirable position we find ourselves in today. We are fortunate that Seth and Bill like the idea of working together. To me, local knowledge of our community and a deep understanding of how we got to our currently successful position was more important than other applicant skills and credentials. If we had not had Seth and Bill in the applicant pool, I would’ve been very satisfied to have chosen another qualified candidate…there were several to choose from. But I’m grateful that Seth and Bill came forward, and I’m confident that Brandon will be well served as they work together in our town office.”
Board member Cecil Reniche-Smith was not present at Monday night’s meeting because of illness. But, according to Mr. Guiles, she agreed to let the Board go ahead with the decision in her absence. She did ask, however, that final negotiations of Mr. Hopkins’s contract be postponed until she was able to participate.
“The Selectboard put a lot of thought into this selection,” Ms. Reniche-Smith wrote in an email. “We had several qualified applicants for the position, and there were a lot of issues to consider in making the best choice for Brandon. I am particularly grateful for the input we received from the citizens committee appointed to assist in the interview process. I look forward to working with Seth and Bill as our new town management team.”
The selection of Mr. Hopkins as town manager will open a seat on the Board. Moreover, the role of Chair will need to be filled as well. The remaining 4 Board members will now have to appoint someone for both of those positions. Since Mr. Hopkins was re-elected in March, his replacement will spend the better part of a year—Mr. Hopkins’s term—on the Board before having to face voters.
Last fall, when Michael Markowski resigned from the Board, letters of interest were solicited from anyone in the community who wanted to be considered to replace him. Presumably, the same process would be used to replace Mr. Hopkins as well.
Though Mr. Wyman is Vice-Chair, it was not clear that he would assume the role of Chair. Mr. Guiles stated that it was still an open question.
And according to Mr. Guiles, the Board will at its next meeting, on April 24, make clear its reasons for selecting Mr. Hopkins.
“We know that many people are appropriately interested in the town manager selection, so we are sharing as much information as possible along the way,” Mr. Guiles wrote in an email.
