Government

See How to Participate in the City Manager Finalist Public Forum

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Charlie BreitroseWatertown City Hall

The three finalists for Watertown City Manager will appear at a Community Forum Monday night, and the public will have the chance to ask them questions. The forum will be held in the Council Chamber in Watertown City Hall, 149 Main St., on May 9, 2022 at 6 p.m.

Each of the candidates will be interviewed for an hour. The finalists are: Norman Khumalo (Hopkinton Town Manager), John Curran (Billerica Town Manager), and George Proakis (Executive Director of Somerville’s Office of Strategic Planning & Community Development). Read more about the Finalists here. The meeting will be hybrid so members of the public can attend in-person or join remotely. Those participating by Zoom will be able to hear from the candidates and ask questions.

Government

Watertown City Manager Finalists to Appear at 2 or More Public Meetings

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The three finalists for Watertown City Manager will appear at public meetings at least twice in early May before the City Council makes its final decision. Wednesday evening the names of the three City Manager finalists were announced: George Proakis (Executive Director of Somerville’s Office of Strategic Planning & Community Development), Norman Khumalo (Hopkinton Town Manager), and John Curran (Billerica Town Manager). Read more about the Finalists here. City Council President Mark Sideris said a public forum and public interviews by the Council have been planned. The public forum will be held on May 9 at 6 p.m., and the Council interviews have been scheduled for May 12 at 6 p.m. Both meetings will be held in the Council Chamber in City Hall (149 Main St.), and also will be live on Zoom.

City Council

Three Finalists Named for Watertown City Manager Job

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The City Council was presented with the names of the three finalists for the City Manager position on Wednesday evening, none of whom are internal candidates. The finalists are: John Curran, Norman Khumalo, and George Proakis. The three will appear at a community forum on May 9 at 6 p.m. and interviewed by the City Council on May 12 at 6 p.m.

Curran currently works as the Town Manager of Billerica, and previously worked as Town Administrator of Maynard and as the mayor of Woburn. He also worked in the private sector as a senior systems analyst and before that as a senior fund analyst at Investors Bank & Trust. Khumalo’s position now is Town Manager in Hopkinton.

Government

Finalists for Watertown City Manager Will be Announced This Week

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The City Council will hold a special meeting where the finalists for the Watertown City Manager position will be announced. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 27 at 6 p.m. in the Council Chamber at City Hall. During the meeting, the three finalists will be announced by Bernie Lynch of Community Paradigm Associates, the City’s manager search consultant. Lynch will also discuss the next steps in the process of hiring Watertown’s next City Manager.

Government

Watertown Receives Some Strong Candidates for City Manager, Screening Committee to Narrow Pool

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Watertown City Hall

The pool of candidates applying for the Watertown City Manager position includes some strong applicants, according to the consultant hired to help with the process. The Ad Hoc City Manager Screening Committee met Thursday night to start the process of reviewing resumes of the applicants for City Manager. They are being assisted by Bernie Lynch of Community Paradigm Associates, who said the number of hopefuls is pretty typical. “In the end we had 23 candidates apply for the position, which is consistent with where we are with many of our communities: somewhere between 20 and 30 candidates,” Lynch said. City Council President Mark Sideris, the chair of the Ad Hoc City Manager Search Committee, said there are also some who will not likely make the list.

City Manager

City Manager Candidate Screening Committee Meeting This Week

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Watertown City Hall

The committee screening candidates for Watertown’s next City Manager will review the process for how hiring process will proceed. The Ad Hoc City Manager Screening Committee will meet vitually on Thursday, March 17 at 5:30 p.m. At the meeting the City’s consultant, Community Paradigm Associates, will review the process. After the presentation, the Committee will go into executive session to begin evaluating the candidates. The Ad Hoc Screening Committee includes: Mark Sideris (City Council President) – Chair, Vincent Piccirilli (City Council Vice President), Caroline Bays (Chair of Personnel and City Organization Committee), Steve Magoon (Acting Deputy City Manager), Deanne Galdston (Superintendent of Schools), Daniel D’Amico (Resident), and Felicia Sullivan (Resident). The public can join the virtual meeting online: https://watertown-ma.zoom.us/j/86093009517

The public can also join the virtual meeting audio only by phone: (877) 853-5257 or (888)475-4499 (Toll Free), and enter Webinar ID: 860 9300 9517 #

Comments can be sent by email to: cbays@watertown-ma.gov

City Council

Council Approves Job Description for Watertown’s Next City Manager

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The City Council made tweaks to the description of what Watertown is looking for in its next City Manager, and will soon use it to advertise the position. The job description calls for a salary of $200,000 or higher, with preference for someone with knowledge of Massachusetts municipal laws and operations, with good communication skills and strong personnel management and project management skills. The draft of the job description was presented to the Council by Bernie Lynch, the consultant hired by the Council to assist in the search. The description also includes information about Watertown, and background of the previous manager, Michael Driscoll, who retired after working in the Watertown Municipal government for 45 years, the last 29 as Town and City Manager. Also, it included descriptions of the local government, education, the economy, and Watertown’s recreation and open space amenities.

City Manager

Retiring City Manager Reflects on His 3 Decades Leading Watertown

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Michael Driscoll attended his final City Council meeting during his career as Watertown’s Town and now City Manager that lasted nearly three decades. At the end of the meeting, Driscoll spoke to the Council, the staff and the community and reflected upon his accomplishments, his appreciation of Watertown’s departments and their leaders, and provided some advice for “good government.” Some of the highlights include improving Watertown’s facilities, building three elementary schools and constructing a new high school in coming years, and paying off the deficits in the City’s retirement and benefits accounts. He thanked the City departments, and had some advice for the future direction of some, including the Watertown Police Department. Driscoll also congratulated a couple of department head who will also soon be retiring.