New Town Administrator Starts Today

There's a new man at the helm in Brookline Town Hall Today.

Mel Kleckner, a former Winchester town administrator tapped to fill the same job in Brookline over the summer, finalized his contract with the Board of Selectmen last night and planned to start his first day shortly before 8 this morning.

"I feel very strongly that we are very fortunate in the success of the search process and the selection process," said Selectwoman Betsy Dewitt, who presented Kleckner with a rubber plant to furnish his corner office on the sixth floor of Town Hall. "My expectation is that you and the plant will thrive in the office behind us."

In the weeks since he was chosen for the job, Kleckner said he has been talking with town officials, touring the town and reading stacks of budget documents, Town Meeting warrants and newspaper articles—"anything I could get my hands on." He said he had also been in touch with former Town Administrator Richared Kelliher, who left Town Hall over the summer after 15 years on the job.

Kleckner said he doesn't have any big plans for the town now that he's in charge.

"I'm going to spend the first couple of weeks getting to know the issues and getting to know the people before I can really be effective and develop my own ideas," he said.

The town administrator is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the town and answers to the Board of Selectmen, which has the authority to hire and fire him. Kleckner has signed a three-year contract for the job.