Marshfield's long-running search for a permanent town administrator moved forward May 28, but not before Select Board members, town officials and a search committee member publicly clashed over how the process had been handled.
The Select Board voted to schedule interviews with five candidates for the position, including four finalists recommended by the town administrator search committee and a fifth candidate added at the request of Select Board member Eric Kelley. The interviews are expected to take place within the next two weeks.
The discussion unfolded after Kelley raised concerns about the search timeline and whether the recruitment process continued beyond what he believed was an established deadline for applications.
Interim Town Administrator Peter Morin defended the process, saying the search committee's work remained public and properly posted.
Kelley said he was unaware the search had continued after the application deadline.
"There was no reason to because we put an end date on the submissions. So if there was a search going on beyond that, I had no knowledge of it until maybe a week before the elections came up," Kelley said.
Morin disputed that claim, noting that Select Board members received copies of applications submitted during the process.
"You cannot say you had no knowledge when you received a copy of every single application that went in before and after that so-called deadline," Morin said.
The disagreement widened when Joe Rigg, a member of the town administrator pre-screening committee, addressed the board. Rigg said he previously objected when a candidate was brought in to the April 21 Select Board meeting to discuss a potential interim town manager role, arguing that the screening committee had been circumvented.
"The day of that meeting, I represented the committee and I expressed my concern about that process, that we were circumvented," Rigg said.
Rigg added that he had not received a response to those concerns.
Kelley denied making any offer to a candidate.
Select Board Chair Rick Smith attempted to steer the discussion back to the agenda item, noting that questions about the process could be discussed separately while the board considered the committee's recommendations.
Smith argued that the town needed to make progress after more than a year without a permanent administrator. Smith also cautioned that municipal executive searches can be difficult and that extended delays could discourage qualified applicants.
The search committee ultimately recommended four finalists. Kelley requested that an additional candidate, James Kreidler, also be interviewed. Smith supported adding the candidate to the interview slate, saying the Select Board should have the opportunity to evaluate all potential finalists before making a decision.
"I've never talked to any of them. I don't know them and so I have no reason to object to them and to the recommendations being put forward," Smith said.
The board unanimously approved interviewing the five candidates: James Kreidler, Peter Caruso, Edward Langel, Danielle Riviello and Mark Strange.
Following the vote, officials said interviews would be conducted by June 12.
The Select Board will ultimately decide whether to offer the position to one of the candidates after the interview process is completed.
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