Derry residents continued to wait for the naming of their new Town Administrator as of press time Tuesday, as the Town Council continued to grapple with the selection process.
As of press time Tuesday, no information about the selection had been released. An update on the town administrator selection appears on the Tuesday night, Oct. 7 Town Council meeting. A non-public meeting had been held the previous evening.
The Council has met several times in nonpublic session to discuss the merits of the three finalists, Troy Brown, Peter Graczykowski and Galen Stearns. The Council originally hoped to have an answer for the town by Oct. 1, but has continued to meet and discuss who they want to see in Derry’s top job.
The Council voted last spring to conduct its own search and presented two candidates, Richard Brown of Massachusetts and Stephen Eldridge of Maine, to be vetted by staff and community this past July. The Council did not choose either man, but reopened the search after their interviews and visits.
The current finalists were interviewed the week of Sept. 4 and met with staff and community that day.
Brown, a Londonderry resident, is current Town Administrator for Hollis. He has been Town Administrator for Pembroke and Town Manager for Limestone, Maine, and has been an Interim Town Manager and Administrative Support Specialist for Londonderry. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Maine, Orono.
Graczykowski, currently of Edgartown, Mass., is currently working as a consultant. His last municipal job was as City Manager of East Providence, R.I. He has worked for the governments of several Massachusetts towns and Vernon, Conn., and holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Westfield State University, a juris doctor degree from Western New England School of Law, and a master’s in business administration in Human Resources Management from Western New England University.
Stearns, a resident of Windham, is currently Town Administrator for Antrim. He has had extensive involvement in his own community, serving six terms as a Windham selectman and holding other town positions. The Navy veteran and engineer holds a bachelor’s in business management from New Hampshire College and an associate’s in computer maintenance from Springfield, Mass. Technical College.
The town is seeking a new Administrator following the termination of its agreement with John Anderson in October 2013. Assistant Town Administrator and Human Resources Director Larry Budreau has been in the position since July 2013.