By By Dylan Thompson,Dylan Thompson – The Berkshire Eagle,The Berkshire Eagle

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DALTON — The Select Board will interview three finalists for its full-time town manager position on Monday, and could reach a decision as early as Tuesday.

The finalists — Eric Anderson, Lisa Blackmer and Jonathan Elwell — were chosen from a field of candidates by the Town Manager Screening Committee. Their names were made public on Tuesday morning, according to Lori Venezia, executive assistant to the town manager.

The Select Board plans to begin interviews at 5:30 p.m. Monday. The board will then reconvene on Tuesday for deliberations before picking the final candidate for contract negotiations.

The Town Manager Screening Committee chose from 10 to 12 candidates who were picked by Municipal Resources, the town’s consultants.

Anderson is currently the town administrator for Andover, Conn., a position he has held 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 Board of Selectmen.

Blackmer, a North Adams resident, is the school business administrator for the North Berkshire School Union. She has also served as the treasurer and tax collector for Buckland, and was the town administrator in Sandisfield from 2013-2015.

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 re-election this year.

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.

He also served as the village manager of Enosburg Falls, Vt., and was the town manager of Manchester, Maine for one year.

If one of the three finalists is hired, they’ll be working with interim town manager Henry H. “Terry” Williams Ⅲ to learn the ropes. To make that happen, Williams is postponing a long-planned trip.

When Williams took the interim position, he told the Select Board he had a monthlong trip to his home in Austin, Texas, planned for October, but he could make adjustments if needed.

With Williams’ contract set to expire on Oct. 3 , the Select Board voted to extend Williams’ contract 30 days to Nov. 2. Williams, who was planning to leave for Austin on Oct. 7, will instead remain in town to help his successor.

“I guess I’ll finally have to cancel those flights,” Williams said after the vote.

After former Town Manager Tom 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.

Bishop said the decision to extend Williams’ contract is due to when they select a candidate, the candidate may have to give notice to their employer, which could add a delay in their start date, and they want Williams to acclimate the next manager to the town.

“It’s important [not to] just put someone in the job cold,” Bishop said.

Williams was able to train with Hutcheson for nine days and said that the experience was “invaluable.” He said he intends to do the same thing for the next town manager.

“The thing I can help [them] out with is taking [them] all around to various town departments and introducing [them] and then giving [them] background information that I’ve collected over my time.”

The Select Board also recognized Town Accountant Sandra Albano, who will be retiring after 25 years in the position, effective Oct. 2. Albano was presented with flowers and received a round of applause from the Select Board and the residents in attendance.

Tiffany Whitney was appointed to replace Albano, effective Oct. 14.