Aug. 18, 2022  |  By Lisa Scagliotti 

Out of a field of 31 applicants to be Waterbury’s next municipal manager, town officials this week planned to interview seven candidates with the goal of narrowing the field to two or three finalists. 

Waterbury Select Board Chair Mike Bard and Vice Chair Dani Kehlmann shared that update at Monday night’s Select Board meeting. The search committee working on recruiting a successor to Municipal Manager Bill Shepeluk is in the process of now working with applicants that answered an employment ad seeking to fill the town government’s top management position by November. Shepeluk plans to retire at the end of the year. 

The job posting attracted 31 applicants and the committee members working with a consultant from the Vermont League of Cities and Towns sorted through to rank and select a group for a first round of interviews. 

Bard explained that each member reviewed letters and resumes and ranked the applicants. “It’s a diverse group,” Bard said. “Most have some experience in Vermont.” 

Bard said many were from the Eastern U.S., with the farthest hailing from Los Angeles. Kehnmann said only six or seven in the applicant pool were women and none were selected for interviews. 

“I would have liked to have included some women,” Bard said, adding that experience requirements led the committee to eliminate the women candidates in the first cut. 

The initial round of interviews was being done online, they said. Those chosen for the next round will be asked to visit to interview in person to meet town staff and see the community. 

The search committee also would like to involve community members in this final phase of the selection process.  

Following Monday’s meeting, the committee announced that it would invite interested community members to participate in upcoming meetings with finalists to provide feedback to the committee. It would mean a time commitment of up to three hours on a day to be scheduled with the applicants, as well as about another 30 minutes on a second day to share input with the committee.

For more information or to volunteer, anyone interested should email Kehlmann at [email protected] by Friday, Aug. 26. 

The search committee is composed of representatives of the Select Board, the Edward Farrar Utility District Board of Commissioners, and the Library Commission. 

Minutes and agendas for the search committee are on the town website, waterburyvt.com, in the select board…