Marshfield's Select Board voted 2-1 Monday night to formally approve a three-year contract for incoming town administrator Ted Langill, finalizing the terms of an appointment that has divided the board since June.
The vote came during the board's August 3 meeting, following months of deliberation over who would replace outgoing interim administrator Peter Morin. The board deadlocked in June over two finalists before newly elected member Chris Rohland cast the deciding vote in July to appoint Langill, Weymouth's chief of staff and acting finance director, over Peter Caruso, the town administrator of Millville.
Town Counsel Robert W. Galvin walked the board through the process before the vote, noting that while members had reached consensus in executive session, formal action was still required in open session.
Chair Rick Smith then read the contract's material terms into the record. The agreement includes a three-year term beginning August 17, a six-month probationary period, and a starting salary of $220,000 that rises to $222,000 in the second year and $225,000 in the third. It also grants Langill use of a town vehicle, requires 90 days' notice if he resigns, and calls for the board and Langill to agree on formal goals and objectives by October 1. Langill will also be required to earn a Massachusetts Certified Public Purchasing Official designation within a year of his hire date, and he will participate in the town's health plan.
Member Eric Kelley, who had backed Caruso during the earlier search, cast the lone vote against the contract, though he made clear his objection was limited to compensation rather than the choice of administrator.
"I just want to let people know that the only thing I disagree on this contract on is the money amount," Kelley said. "I think it should be a little bit less with an incentive based into it."
Kelley added that he would have voted to move the contract forward had it included that change, but the board proceeded without amending the salary structure. The motion carried 2-1, with Smith and Rohland in favor.
Langill's hiring caps a search that stretched well over a year and outlasted an earlier slate of finalists. Kelley had previously recommended one of those finalists for the interim post, a move other board members and a citizen search committee objected to at the time.
Once Langill begins his new role, Morin's tenure as interim administrator will draw to a close after serving in the position since April 2025.