By By Dylan Thompson,Dylan Thompson — The Berkshire Eagle,The Berkshire Eagle

Copyright berkshireeagle

DALTON — The Select Board has unanimously selected Andover, Conn., Town Administrator Eric Anderson to be the next full-time town manager.

The decision is pending an acceptance from Anderson, a background check, preemployment physical and negotiations. The board deliberated for roughly 10 minutes before making its final decision on Tuesday night.

“[It’s] kind of neat to see we were all on the same page,” Select Board Chair Robert Bishop said.

Three finalists — Lisa Blackmer, Jonathan Elwell and Anderson — were interviewed by four of the five Select Board members on Monday night. Select Board member Marc Strout recused himself from the process because his wife, Police Chief Deanna Strout, reports to the town manager.

The town has been looking for a full-time town manager to take over after interim Town Manager Henry H. “Terry” Williams Ⅲ departs. His contract, which had been set to expire Friday, has been extended through Nov. 2.

Williams, who was planning to leave town Oct. 7, will instead remain to help his successor. If he accepts, Anderson will be working with Williams for a training period.

Anderson has held his current position for six years. He also has served leadership roles in the military and was an elected official on the Andover Planning and Zoning Commission, and briefly on the town’s Select Board.

“I am attracted to Dalton both for its location and also because I am an advocate for small communities and local government,” Anderson wrote in his cover letter.

On Monday, the Select Board asked questions about how the candidates would address the financial challenges facing the town, how they would handle the Berkshire Concrete Corp. sand mine situation, and their strengths and weaknesses.

The finalists were chosen from a field of candidates by the Town Manager Screening Committee. The posted salary range for the position is $135,000 to $155,000.

Former Town Manager Tom Hutcheson’s salary for fiscal year 2025 was $128,627, according to Williams. Before Hutcheson, former Town Manager Kenneth Walto was earning $114,815 a year when he retired.

After Hutcheson announced his retirement in February, the town had been searching for an interim who would stay on until the fall. The Select Board appointed Williams to the interim town manager position on June 2.

The Select Board was impressed with Anderson’s background in grant writing. Anderson said that grant funding has been a focus for him in Andover and that the town has received over $15 million in grant funding in six years for grants that he’s written.

“He seems to be a great team player,” Vice Chair John Boyle said.

Boyle also thought Anderson gave “an extremely good answer” regarding how to handle the Berkshire Concrete Corp. sand mine situation. Anderson has experience dealing with the issue, as Andover is currently in the process of suing a gravel mine operation that refused to remediate the area.

Air monitoring and understanding how much silica is produced is crucial, Anderson said, adding, “The town is going to have to address it in some satisfactory method.”

Boyle said that he received a number of emails on Tuesday and spoke with many residents around town, and they all agreed that Anderson was the right choice. Select Board member Tony Pagliarulo added that Anderson would be a “great fit for our community.”

The Select Board spent little time discussing Elwell and Blackmer, but noted that they were quality candidates. Pagliarulo said that he felt Elwell had a steep learning curve.

Elwell, from Concord, Vt., has over 26 years of experience working for local governments and most recently served as the general manager of the Lyndon (Vt.) Electric Department.

Blackmer, a North Adams resident, is the school business administrator for the North Berkshire School Union. Blackmer also served on the North Adams City Council for a decade, starting in 2008, including three years as its president.

She rejoined the council in 2020 and is running for reelection this year.

Regarding Blackmer, the Select Board said that she was a strong candidate, but Bishop had concerns regarding her desire to stay on the North Adams City Council if reelected.

The Select Board also was impressed with Blackmer’s finance background and her strong connections with regional, state and federal leaders.