ProfileCanton, Massachusetts

Town Administrator

UNIVERSITY OF MASSA SETTS BOSTONUHCEDWARD J. COLLINS JR. CENTER FOR PUBLIC MANAGEMENT JOHN W. McCORMACK GRADUATE SCHOOL OFGLOBAL AND POLICY STUDIESUNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS BOSTON

IntroductionThe Town of Canton has retained the services of the Edward J. Collins Jr. Center for Public Management at the University of Massachusetts Boston to assist in the Town’s recruitment of a new Town Administrator. This profile describes our understanding of the organization, the challenges that lie ahead for the successful candidate, and the professional and personal attributes an ideal candidate will possess. For more information about the Town of Canton please consult Canton’s web site (http://town.canton.ma.us/).

The Town of CantonCanton is a suburban, primarily residential community located in southeastern Massachusetts, 18 miles southwest of Boston. Principal highways are I-95 and State Routes 24 and 138, which connects Canton with I-93. The location, coupled with two commuter-rail train stations with a third located in neighboring Westwood, provides local residents with easy access to numerous employment centers, including downtown Boston; the Route 128 high-tech corridor; and Providence, R.I.

Canton’s population is approximately 21,000. Its land area is roughly 19.6 square miles. Median household income of $89,900 is 34% higher than the state median figure of $66,866.

Canton’s school system is comprised of three elementary schools, a middle school and a high school. Over 90% of students graduating from the high school go on to higher education.

Many of the Town’s lakes, ponds and wetlands have been protected and preserved for present enjoyment and future generations. Among the protected areas are the Eleanor Cabot Bradley Reservation, an 82 acre estate that blends open fields, woodlands and gardens in the shadow of Great Blue Hill and Pequitside Farm, a town-owned 38 acre conservation and recreation area which offers playing fields, picnicking, hiking and cross country skiing.

The Town has made, and continues to make, significant investments in infrastructure improvements such as roads, sewers, and water supply facilities, as well as various municipal and school facility upgrades. The Town has also completed three important water and sewer projects to improve water quality and availability and to reduce sewerage treatment costs.

A five-year downtown revitalization project enhanced the appearance of a retail area with the placement of utility lines underground, improved handicap access, tree-planting and other upgrades to the streetscape paired with changes in the area’s zoning. The Town has also completed safety and efficiency improvement work on two key intersections located in the Route 138 business district.

Through a long-term lease of its capped 15-acre landfill to a private entity as a solar electricity-generating facility, the Town receives annual lease payments and the ability to purchase the 5.6 megawatts of electricity generated on the site by solar panels at a substantial savings.

The Town has begun to receive payments under the cooperation agreement entered into with the developers of University Station in neighboring Westwood to mitigate the traffic impacts of that development on Canton. The agreement, valued at more than $2.8 million for the Town, provides cash as well the obligation by the developer to undertake certain roadway improvements.

Most recently the Town has concluded an agreement for the development of the former Plymouth Rubber site, a 35-acre parcel that once housed post-Colonial era copper rolling mills and more recently was the site of rubber, chemical and woolen manufacturing works. This agreement, ten years in the making, requires the developer to remediate contaminated soils before construction of 60 apartments for ages 55 and over and 212 condominium units without age restrictions. The redeveloped site will also include a private day care center and kindergarten, commercial space, and public open space. The Town will be provided with the renovated copper mill and barn for public use. The redeveloped site will generate significantly more tax revenue to the Town than it currently does.

Organizational Design andGovernanceThe Town governance structure consists of a five member Board of Selectmen elected for three year staggered terms and an open town meeting. The Selectmen have adopted an Administrative Code which sets out the Board’s policies and procedures. The three-member Board of Assessors is elected, as are the Planning Board, Board of Health, Library Trustees, and Town Clerk. Town Meeting is the legislative body and exercises the functions of appropriating funds and enacting by-laws. Town Meeting is advised by a Finance Committee and Capital Planning Committee, whose members are appointed by the Town Moderator.

The Town Administrator is responsible for carrying out the policy decisions of the Board of Selectmen and for managing the day-to-day operations of the Town, including planning, organizing, supervising and directing all activities and operations of town departments and other town agencies under the jurisdiction of the Board of Selectmen. The Town Administrator’s specific duties and responsibilities are detailed in a position description rather than by statute or by-law.

The incumbent has supervisory oversight responsibility for full and part-time department heads and staff, recommends new hires, and takes disciplinary action including termination, subject to the approval of the Selectmen. The incumbent regularly serves as the communication conduit between the Board of Selectmen and department heads, and as such is responsible for conveying information, recommendations and decisions in a clear and accurate manner.

The position of Town Administrator will be vacant as a result of the current Town Administrator’s retirement, who has held the position for more than 25 years.

Public FinanceCanton’s bonds have received a AAA rating from Standard and Poor’s (S&P) credit rating agency; in its March 2015 assignment of a “AAA” rating to Canton’s $3.689 million bond issue S&P evaluated all of rating factors it uses as either “very strong” or “strong”.

The Town had total General Fund revenues for FY2015 of approximately $79.7 million, of which $63.2 million is generated by property taxes. The Town has a split tax rate. Seventy-seven percent of the Town’s valuation is residential. The Town currently has over $3.2 million in its Free Cash account; more than $5 million in its Stabilization Fund; and overlay reserve of nearly $1.5 million. In 2013, the Town established an OPEB Trust Fund to address the problem of its unfunded liability for its share of retiree health insurance costs and makes annual appropriations to the Fund. A copy of a recent Offering Statement is on the Collins web site.

The annual operating and capital spending budgets are developed by the Town Administrator and Finance Director, who also serves as Treasurer and Collector.

Challenges for the TownAdministrator●Leadership. The Town Administrator must sustain

and enhance the respect for the position that has developed over the years of the current incumbent’s service. The new Town Administrator’s success will depend on a high degree of competence and commitment, as well as the professionalism, demeanor and ability to embrace the community in a genuine and personal way. He or she must be willing and able to introduce change and enhanced cooperation among departments in a measured and inclusive way, rather than from a top-down, directive approach.

●Communication. Well-developed communication skills in Canton are essential. Open, accurate and timely communication by the Town Administrator with all Town government entities and employees as well as with the public needs to be integrated into the normal operational practices of the Town. In addition, the Town Administrator must be willing and able to explore how the use of social media such as Twitter can help the Town engage its residents in local issues and foster active, constructive participation in civic life.

●Financial Management, Budget Planning and Preparation. Canton is justifiably proud of its strong financial situation. The Town Administrator must partner with the Finance Director to protect the gains that have been made while providing the high level of service the Town expects.

●Stormwater Management. Compliance with new federal regulations due to come into effect in 2016 has the potential to impose a significant financial burden on the Town. Planning to reallocate existing resources, or to develop a new revenue stream through

the establishment of a Stormwater Enterprise Fund or other mechanisms, will be needed to support the range of projects and activities the new regulations will likely require.

●Traffic. The robust roadway systems that are an asset to the Town are also used extensively by non-residents transiting Canton. The resulting congestion and related problems are a chronic source of discontent and frustration by residents. As the Selectmen’s representative the Town Administration should expect to devote a significant amount of time in listening to complaints, sharing concerns that are raised with the Board of Selectmen, and responding to residents in a timely manner. Outreach to residents will also need to be undertaken in advance of construction and infrastructure improvements designed to alleviate some of the traffic issues.

●Professionalism, Staff Development and Morale. The Town has well-regarded, highly skilled and professional department heads and key staff. The general atmosphere in Town Hall is highly collaborative and there is pride in giving excellent customer service. The Town has benefited from having a blend of professionals who have served the community for many years. Fully utilizing the considerable talents of staff, respecting their institutional knowledge and helping develop their potential will be critical to the success of the new Town Administrator. Given the longevity of a number of key department heads the Town Administrator can also expect to be faced with the need for succession planning and/or recruitment to fill major positions as current incumbents choose to retire.

The Ideal CandidateThe Canton Board of Selectmen seeks a Town Administrator who is a seasoned local government professional in an environment of similar complexity who possesses strong leadership, communication and organizational skills.

Canton seeks a Town Administrator with the energy, skill, creativity and experience to provide support to the Board of Selectmen in strategic and policy planning; direct, manage and facilitate the delivery of municipal services on a day to day basis; provide leadership to departments and serve as the administrative face of the organization.

Canton seeks a Town Administrator willing to commit to a tenure long enough to build a multi-year approach to strategic planning and ensuring the sustainability of the Town’s service levels.

The following attributes have been determined important in Canton’s next Town Administrator.

Personal Attributes

The next Town Administrator needs to be:

●Able to demonstrate leadership internally and externally, while being accessible and approachable.

●Able to demonstrate unquestioned integrity in interactions with officials and citizens.

●Able to maintain a calm professional demeanor in situations where other parties may display anger or frustration.

●Able to communicate effectively in all aspects of the position and with all community groups and constituencies in the community.

●Able to delegate many of the routine administrative and communication tasks to subordinates, to promote their professional development and to free up time for other functions.

● Able to adapt to the Town’s culture and to exert influence and direction in a manner that shares successes with elected officials, professionals and volunteers.

● Able and willing to work openly with community groups and employees. A direct, collegial, facilitative style that fosters joint problem solving is needed. The Town Administrator cannot be a micromanager and can have no agenda beyond being a professional.

Professional Attributes

The Town Administrator must be:

●Able to provide advice and recommendations to the Board based on the Town’s best interests rather than a perception of political expediency. Able to execute the policy decisions made by the Selectmen even if they are at variance with his or her recommendations.

●Able to communicate clearly and in a timely manner, both orally and in writing, the decisions made by the Selectmen to department heads and others.

●An experienced professional with knowledge and experience in finance, budgeting, capital and operational planning, expenditure management, labor relations, public facilitation, and staff development. Excellent public and interpersonal communication skills, oral and written, are essential.

● A professionally stable person with a record of tenure and consistent career growth. The Town seeks a committed professional willing to stay for a significant period but who is also open to change and innovation when there are ways to improve the organization and generate revenues for the Town.

● Able to listen to department heads, elected and appointed officials and the public in a way that conveys his or her interest in the issue or problem, and his or her willingness and ability either to resolve it or to convey it to the Board of Selectmen.

● Both strategic and tactical. He/she must be experienced in working effectively in a political environment providing impartial guidance to elected officials to identify and address the long-term strategic needs of the community and the short-term tactical steps necessary to deliver services.

●Capable of keeping elected officials comprehensively informed, while staying detached from the political process.

●Comfortable working in an environment where most employees are members of collective bargaining units and participating as the Selectmen’s representative in the collective bargaining process.

●Comfortable working with and in an organization where the executive authority is retained by the Board of Selectmen which relies on the Town Administrator to operate on their behalf on a day to day basis.

● Familiar with highly participative local government environments with dynamics similar to Canton’s.

● Possess a track record of professional behavior consistent with the ethical tenets of the International City Management Association.

● Applicants for this position must have a Master’s degree in public administration or a related field and seven or more years of municipal government experience in progressively responsible management and administrative capacities.

SalaryThe Town is willing to negotiate a competitive compensation package and an employment contract with the selected candidate, commensurate with experience.

How to ApplyApplications are preferred electronically and are due by August 31, 2015. Please send your resume with a cover letter addressing the job requirements to this email address: recruitment.umb@gmail.com. Please combine all of your documents in a single pdf file. Canton TA and the applicant’s Last Name must be included in the subject line.

Should you have any questions regarding this opportu-nity, or a recommendation of a colleague, please contact: Dick Kobayashi, Senior Associate 617-489-8812, or Mary Flanders Aicardi, Associate 508-215-8992.

To learn more about the Edward J. Collins Jr. Center for Public Management at UMASS Boston, please visit: www.umb.edu/cpm