By Carol Britton Meyer

Former Select Board Chair Jennifer Constable is among the three finalists for the town manager position soon to be vacated by Philip Lemnios, who is retiring at the end of June.

A seven-member search committee worked with Community Paradigm Associates to interview the semifinalists for the position, leading up to this week’s recommendations as the search process enters the final stage.

The other finalists – chosen from a pool of 21 candidates that was narrowed down to six semifinalists – are Peter Caruso of Scituate and Thomas Guerino of Vermont.

Following a lengthy discussion among current select board members about whether they should make the important decision on hiring a new town manager or wait until election results are certified to include the three new members – Brian McCarthy, Jason McCann, and Jerry Taverna, based on the current vote tally – the decision was made to move forward with interviewing the final candidates to avoid a delay that could jeopardize the process.

The current board includes Domenico Sestito, who did not run for re-election, and Chair Donna Pursel, who ran for another term but lost her seat in the May 15 town election. Both are “held over” in their former positions until the election results are certified (See related story).

Select board member Irwin Nesoff, chair of the search committee, urged fellow board members to move forward with the interviews – currently scheduled for Wednesday, June 7, beginning at 5 p.m.

“If we were to delay the process, we stand the chance of losing all three candidates and setting the search process back about six months,” he said. “We do need a [new] town manager.”

While Sestito felt it might be wise to wait until the three new board members are seated, the general consensus of the other three board members is that the best decision will be made for the town regardless of which board makes it.

Paradigm consultant Bernard Lynch gave a brief outline of each of the finalists. Caruso served as town administrator in Millville, where he stabilized the town’s finances “during dire circumstances” and is a former member of the Sherborn select board. He holds a master’s degree in finance and accounting from the Northeastern School of Business and a master’s degree from Bucknell University.

Guerino, a resident of Vernon, Vt., currently serves as executive director of the Greenfield, Mass., Housing Authority and is a former town administrator in Bourne, where he faced issues similar to those Hull faces as a coastal community dealing with climate change. He also has extensive experience with economic development projects and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern Maine.

Constable, who has served Rockland as assistant town administrator for more than four years, formerly worked for the state in a variety of positions, largely related to community development but also in housing in addition to performing paralegal work.

She holds a master’s in public administration from Suffolk University and a bachelor of arts in anthropology from SUNY Plattsburgh.

“All three are excellent candidates – qualified and well-versed in municipal government issues,” Lynch said. “They all have a passion for municipal government.”

Prior to naming the final candidates, Lynch explained the thorough process leading up to the selection, including considering input from the earlier community survey.

“This has been a well-thought-out process, with a lot of time spent developing the candidate pool and conducting interviews,” Nesoff said. “I believe that any of these three people are qualified for the position.”

The board’s vote was 3-1 in favor of moving forward with the finalist interviews, with Nesoff, Pursel, and Greg Grey voting in favor, and Sestito the sole “nay.”

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