Dedham Town Manager Signs New Contract

DEDHAM, MA — Dedham Town Manager Jim Kern is sticking around for a few more years.

The selectmen recently approved a new three-year contract for Kern, which retroactively runs from July 1, 2017, to June 30, 2020. Kern has been the town manager since November 2014.

"I think Jim has done a really great job. I worked very closely with him in a lot of situations and I can tell you for sure his expertise has benefited the town. He has one of the toughest jobs in town with 24,000 bosses. Jim's understanding on how a town should run and municipal finance makes a huge difference for what we've done," Selectman Chairperson Dennis Teehan said in a release.

Kern will receive a 2.5 percent pay raise for the first year of his deal and at least a 2 percent raise for years two and three. His base salary will increase from $177,735 to $128,200.

"I had a decision to make three and a half years ago on whether to leave my previous position and I'm happy with that decision and I'm happy that I work in Dedham. I think Dedham has challenges and opportunities that other towns just don't have and I'm happy to make whatever contribution I can do that," Kern said.

Prior to coming to Dedham, Kern was the Swansea Town Manager for 10 years.

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