The search for Cohasset’s next Town Manager is accelerating as the search committee aims to identify a finalist before the May 4 Town Meeting. Consultant Bob LeLacheur informed the newly organized committee on March 23 that 28 candidates applied for the position, a pool that has already been whittled down to 11 for preliminary consultant interviews. LeLacheur noted, We want to find out who they are, what's their interest, and why Cohasset.

To maintain momentum, the committee decided to nix a traditional essay requirement for applicants, which consultants estimated would add three weeks to the recruitment timeline. Suzanne Afarian voiced concerns about the delay, stating, I am not in favor of an essay because it does delay the process. I see the need to expedite. Jean Healy Dippold added a modern skepticism to the written exercise, noting that there's a lot of AI writing tools out there and suggested that someone could simply use technology to bypass the test. Instead, the committee will request existing writing samples, such as past budget messages or town meeting presentations. Motion Made by T. Davis to eliminate the essay portion of the candidate evaluation process. Motion Passed (6-0).

The committee established its leadership early in the meeting, though not without a procedural reminder regarding remote meeting laws. Motion Made by J. Dippold to appoint Tim Davis as Chair, Sarah Shannon as Vice Chair, and Bill Burnett as Clerk. Motion Passed (6-0). Following the appointment, B. Burnett accepted the clerk role while Lee Jenkins provided the second for the nominations. Sarah Shannon, serving as Vice Chair, also supported the leadership slate to ensure the committee could move immediately into scheduling the high-stakes selection process.

The hiring timeline is now focused on a marathon weekend of interviews in mid-April. Candidates' confidential information packets will be available for committee members to pick up in person at the Public Safety building at 135 King Street to ensure privacy. Megan Grady confirmed her location at the facility, noting it would be the best place to pick them up. The committee will meet in executive session on April 6 to select finalists, followed by public interviews on Friday, April 10, and Saturday, April 11. Select Board Liaison Paul Schubert emphasized the urgency of this schedule, telling the group, It would be nice to have a town manager in place that is able to hit the ground running by the time Town Meeting convenes to address the town's fiscal and infrastructure challenges.

During the upcoming interviews, each candidate will face roughly 75 minutes of questioning. While the committee initially considered a large slate of questions, J. Dippold cautioned against overwhelming the applicants. I would suggest that someone is not going to be able to reasonably deliver answers to 18 questions, she said, recommending a focus on six or seven high-quality, open-ended inquiries. Tim Davis expressed a specific interest in how candidates handle the town's often passionate public discourse. One of the things I'm interested in is their ability to deal with people in a public setting, Davis said. I'd like to know how they deal with adversarial situations. We have many different people with different ideas who are adamant about them. Consultant Buzz Stapczynski assured the chair that the prepared materials included specific prompts on conflict resolution, adding, Tim, you're going to love our sample question on conflict resolution.