Marshfield's Select Board voted 2-1 Monday night to appoint Edward "Ted" Langill as the town's next town administrator, subject to a background check and contract negotiations, ending a search that had stretched well over a year.
In June the board's two sitting members deadlocked after interviewing four finalists that spring, with Eric Kelley backing a different candidate and Chair Rick Smith supporting Langill, then and now Weymouth's chief of staff and acting finance director. The board finally broke that impasse with the help of its newest member, Chris Rohland, who was sworn in two days after winning a July 25 special election in a landslide.
Smith told the board his position on Langill had not changed since the earlier interviews.
"I still stand in full support of Mr. Langill and plan on supporting him when we move this to a vote," Smith said.
Kelley said he continued to back the board's other finalist, Peter Caruso, the town administrator of Millville. He argued Marshfield should be wary of following Weymouth's path of rapid growth and development, saying he had heard similar concerns from a number of residents.
"I don't think a lot of people here want us to start looking like Weymouth, in my opinion," Kelley said.
Rohland, attending his first meeting as a board member, said he watched recordings of both candidates' interviews and drew on his own background moving between large corporations and small startups, including a stint at the New York Times, before reaching his decision. He noted during the discussion that Weymouth operates on a roughly $227 million budget, about double Marshfield's own $115 million, while Caruso's Millville runs on a budget of about $7.7 million a year.
"So not getting into it too far into the weeds, I'm going to recommend Mr. Langill," Rohland said.
Smith's initial motion to appoint Langill passed by voice vote, but Rohland later raised a point of order noting the board had never formally asked whether any member opposed the motion, leaving Kelley's dissent unrecorded. The board voted to reconsider the appointment and held a second vote, which again passed 2-1 with Kelley opposed. The appointment caps a search that outlasted an earlier slate of four finalists, one of whom Kelley had previously recommended for the interim post, a move other board members and a citizen search committee had objected to at the time.
After the vote, Smith thanked Peter Morin, who has served as Marshfield's interim town administrator since April 2025.
"I really do want to express my heartfelt appreciation for everything that you've done for our town, for sticking it out with us," Smith said.
Morin told the board he had grown attached to the town during his time in the role.
"This town is special. I've developed a great affection for it, and I will always remember my time here," Morin said.
Langill's appointment still requires a successful background check and contract negotiations before he can begin. Morin will continue serving as interim administrator until that process concludes.