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01/29/2019 11:35 AMAs Clinton prepares to make the switch from a Board of Selectmen (BOS)-based government to a town manager style of government, the BOS has begun to outline what that process will look like.
With less than a year to go until the changes are in effect, the current BOS, at a meeting on Jan. 23, provided an update on the next steps of the transformation.
First Selectman Christine Goupil said she and Selectman Phil Sengle have identified other towns that have made a similar change, and have engaged officials from those towns in discussion to learn best practices about how to make the switch.
“It’s very critical we get this going. November will be here before you know it,” Sengle said.
The town will soon compose an executive search committee to help begin finding candidates. Additionally, the town will also put out a request for proposal (RFP) for a headhunter to find candidates. Goupil said she did not know at this time how much that might cost.
The headhunter will help lead the search committee through the process, and will do more than just find candidates. The headhunter will also seek input from the different department heads, develop an official job description, and other research as required.
Goupil said Simsbury is another Connecticut town that followed a similar model.
She said that some towns have a more robust support staff, and that the town of Clinton’s relatively lean support staff level means that using a headhunter and search committee makes sense for the town.
Goupil said the use of a headhunter is not unusual when towns prepare to hire a town manager. The number of people that will serve on the search committee, as well as who will make up that committee, have not yet been determined. The committee will make periodic advisory reports to the BOS.
Goupil also said that the BOS should begin to outline recommended bylaws for the town council that clarify certain issues, including who will serve as the face of the community. She says properly drawn bylaws can clearly establish those roles.
While the town manager will handle many of the day-to-day duties of running the town, Goupil said that town managers usually operate behind the scenes.
As an example, Goupil pointed to the vigil held in November as a show of support for Clinton’s youth who were affected by the loss of peers this year. According to Goupil, that was the kind of event where a town manager would not necessarily be required to represent the town, especially if the manager is not a local resident. Goupil said that the charter is clear on the statutory authority of each board, and the bylaws would serve as more of a job description.
On Election Day in 2018, Clinton residents voted overwhelmingly to approve a proposed charter change that called for the town to adopt a form of government in which a town manager acts as the town’s chief executive and takes on many of the duties currently handled by the First Selectman. The manager will be overseen by an elected seven-member town council, who are able to hire or fire the town manager. An update on the town website in 2018 stated in part that the town manager “will be determined on the basis of executive and administrative qualifications, character, education, professional training, and experience, such as a master’s degree in public administration (MPA), master’s degree in business administration (MBA), or related fields. The town manager need not be a resident of the town or state at the time of appointment and may reside outside the town while in office only with the approval of the Town Council.” The changes go into effect in November of 2019.