Deadline for Stoughton Town Manager Search Process Extended Until Mid-September

If all goes well with the interview process, Stoughton could have a permanent Town Manager hired by this September, but more towards the middle of the month, rather than by the beginning of the month, as was originally planned.

Town Manager Search Committee members Forrest Lindwall and Eric Milgroom said , a firm assisting the Town Manager Search Committee in the process of hiring a permanent town manager, expressed concerns about the potential availability of candidates for interviews at the end of August and said having interviews the last week of August could be "problematic."

So Lindwall and Milgroom appeared at Tuesday's Board of Selectmen's meeting and asked to push the deadline back from September 1 to September 14.

Lindwall added that pushing back the deadline for interviews also allows MRI more time to conduct background searches on the candidates.

The Board obliged, voting 3-2, with Selectmen John Stagnone, Bob O'Regan and Steve Anastos in the majority, and with John Anzivino and Cynthia Walsh opposed.

The final group of candidates (approximately six or seven) will be interviewed by three separate panels - the Town Manager Search Committee, Stoughton Department Heads, and a group representing MRI, which will include both an active and retired Town Manager from the area.

Then this group of candidates will then be narrowed down to three finalists. The Board of Selectmen will interview these three finalists and then make their decision on who to hire.

This interview process is expected to take place between September 12-14, with a candidate selected by the Selectmen September 14 or the next scheduled Selectmen's meeting.

The deadline for applying for the position was July 11. Lindwall and Milgroom said there were 55 applicants from a combined 15 states and Canada, ranging from having multiple advanced degrees to having no degrees, and from having a wealth of government experience to having no experience.

Of the 55 applicants, 23 were sent essay questions as part of the next step in the process.

Lindwall said MRI felt good about the depth of candidates that applied.

The contract for Interim Town Manager Joesph D. Feaster, Jr. expires November 30, unless a permanent Town Manager has been hired before that.

In a June 21 meeting with members of the press, .

Feaster was .

He succeeded , who had served for two years as Stoughton’s Town Manager, before  in January 2012. Crimmins’ last day in office was March 31.