Selectmen to decide on new TA

By Taryn Plumb
Turley Publications Reporter

STURBRIDGE– All three candidates have at least a decade's worth of experience with town management, and each one touts their leadership abilities, money management skills, and capacity for effective and prompt decision-making.
Now, it's on selectmen to decide which one will ultimately be the best fit for Sturbridge.
“Any one of them could walk in tomorrow and start running the town,” said James Ehrhard, chair of a five-member search committee that sifted through 65 applicants to settle on three finalists for the town administrator position, which were announced last week.
After two search committees and a dash of controversy, they've been revealed: The top three finalists out of 65 are John O. D'Agostino of Mansfield; Pamela T. Nolan of Orleans; and Donald D. Crawford of Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan.
D'Agostino most recently served as town manager of his hometown for 12 years; his contract was not renewed in November. Nolan currently holds a post as town administrator in Truro. Crawford, meanwhile, is a longtime veteran of town government, most recently helping the city of Hamtramck, Michigan (just north of the long-depressed city of Detroit) out of state receivership.
Ehrhard announced the three finalists to selectmen last Monday; they were chosen after the committee interviewed 10 semi-finalists, ultimately judging them on their experience, confidence level and ability to speak beyond sound bites, Ehrhard explained.
Selectmen, in turn, interviewed the candidates at their meeting this Monday.

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