What Reading Residents Want From Their Next Town Manager

READING, MA — Residents are hoping for a proactive town manager who is committed to diversity and transparency and holds Reading accountable.

That was the general feeling at Monday's community forum, held at the Reading Public Library and over Zoom, where residents were given the opportunity to share the skills and traits they'd like to see from Bob LeLacheur's successor.

LeLacheur, Reading's town manager since 2013, previously announced his intent to resign in February.

Monday's forum was hosted by consultant Community Paradigm Associates, which has helped fill roughly 65 town administrative positions around Massachusetts over the past seven years, founder and managing principal Bernie Lynch said.

Lynch outlined a rough timeline to select the next town manager, saying the bulk of the preparatory work has already been done. He expects the recruiting process will start in about a week, with resumes coming in by the middle of November.

The screening committee – which will consist of two Select Board members, two department heads who live in Reading, the town moderator and two residents – will review candidates and send three or four finalists to the Select Board by mid-December.

The Select Board will "hopefully" appoint a candidate by the end of the year, with an official offer going out by early 2022, Lynch said.

About a dozen residents attended Monday's forum. Many who spoke highlighted LeLacheur's strengths, particularly his dependability when responding to a crisis and his financial management skills, but said they hope the next town manager is more "proactive."

"I think we need more of a proactive person who is not just going to anticipate things, but is someone who is willing to take charge of situations in the community they're seeing happen," one resident said.

Other residents highlighted a commitment to diversity and initiatives like becoming a green community, as well as acknowledging when the town "screwed up." One point reiterated often was the ability to balance pressure from developers with the needs and realities of residents.

"There seems to be complacency of letting developments do what they want instead of enforcing our own regulations," a resident said.

Lynch said diversity is an issue his firm takes "very seriously."

"Women and people of color have been underrepresented throughout a number of different sectors," he said.

Lynch estimated Reading would get about 30-35 applicants for the role, a third of whom will likely be unqualified. He said the market for town administrators has been sparse in recent years, as nearly two-thirds of Massachusetts communities have lost their manager to retirement or the "churn" that happens when there's an opening.

Residents also stressed the value of fostering collaboration between town staff and volunteers and being more accessible to the community.

"What are their plans to update, whether it's the systems, certainly the access, transparency, accountability?" resident Mark Delaney said.

Mainly, residents want their next town manager to stick around – provided they're a good fit.

"Someone who's going to be committed to doing the work, passionate about what they're doing and plan to be here long term," one resident said when describing her ideal candidate.