Swampscott Begins New Town Administrator Hiring Process

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — The Swampscott Select Board began the process to find a new permanent town administrator on Wednesday night with the official appointment of Department of Public Works Director Gino Cresta as the interim town administrator and discussing the parameters of finding a permanent replacement for Sean Fitzgerald, who resigned last month after eight years on the job.

Fitzgerald resigned with six months remaining on his contract and about two months after taking a medical leave.

Select Board Chair MaryEllen Fletcher said the move to make Cresta the interim town administrator on Wednesday was because it was the first meeting since Fitzgerald's resignation became official on Dec. 19. Cresta, who is continuing in his role as DPW director with some administrative assistance from other town officials, had been the acting town administrator while Fitzgerald was out on medical leave.

Fletcher said the town charter gives each of the town's major committees — Select Board, School Committee, Finance Committee — representatives on the search committee for a new permanent town administrator, along with two appointees from the town moderator.

"We're in a process of doing this right," Fletcher said. "We don't have to drop everything and rush through it. We just have to do it right and put some thought into it. We've had a lot going on. We've had the holidays. And we are where we are. This is our first meeting since the town administrator's resignation."

Select Board member Danielle Leonard proposed ways to involve residents in forming recommendations of what they would like to see in the next town administrator with Select Board member Katie Phelan and Leonard proposing a survey that residents could respond to anonymously with their thoughts, concerns and ideas.

"I know we have to follow what our charter says," Leonard said. "But at one point do we engage members of this community? ... I certainly want to respect our charter and our process. But I do not want this to turn into a political battle of wills where we completely forget the 15,000 people who live here and what they've seen historically in the years that they have been here.

"What they might have appreciated — or not appreciated — what their feelings are moving forward. I think we lose sight of that a lot of times. To the extent that we can explore that I think we should."

Cresta said earlier in the meeting that one change coming to town hall is public hours returning to Fridays. He said that administrators have agreed to return to work from 8 a.m. to noon in order to make town hall more accessible to residents five days a week.

He said to make up for those four hours without adding to workloads or increasing expenses, those who are working on Fridays would work one hour less on the later end of the day Monday through Thursday. He said those involved have largely embraced the pending change.

Leonard used her Select Board time to thank Cresta for taking on the responsibility of town administrator, along with his other duties, in recent months.

"You have been a beacon in this town for many years," she said. "I applaud you for having the courage to take on this interim position. Obviously, it's not been an easy situation but I really do feel that we are in good hands with you as well as with the very qualified department heads in town hall."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)