NORTH YARMOUTH — In a needs assessment discussion held Monday afternoon, the Board of Selectmen helped give the Maine Municipal Association direction in searching for a new administrative assistant for the town.

Selectmen last month decided not to renew the contract of the current administrator, Scott Tilton, who has been with the town for two years. The MMA was hired to perform a search for a new administrator under the guidance of town officials.

The job was posted last Friday on sites like JobsinMe.com and Monster.com, as well as advertised through all organizations under the MMA. It will soon run in the International City Managers newsletter. The ad attracted 21 resumes as of Tuesday.

Resumes will be accepted through May 6. On May 13 selectmen will meet with MMA representative David Barrett in executive session to review applications. The meeting will focus on narrowing candidates based on the needs assessment performed this week.

Barrett said Monday’s meeting was successful and productive, and will help guide the MMA in completing the search as well as the town in instructing their new hire as to the job requirements.

Barrett entered Monday’s meeting with lists compiled from “top five requirements” lists sent to him by town office staff and selectmen. On the selectmen’s compiled list, the most frequently mentioned requirements were:

1 – Finance and budgetary skills.

2 – Communications skills and listening.

3 – Managerial skills.

4 – Residency in North Yarmouth or nearby.

5 – Public works background.

6 – Be part of the community.

Other things mentioned included being open minded, a “common-sense thinker,” having grant experience, and being able to solicit, synthesize and summarize group input.

Requirements from staff included communication skills as the most mentioned requirement, along with knowledge of local government, a good work ethic, respect for employees and honesty in all dealings.

“These are the kinds of things you’d think they’d be looking for,” Barrett said of both lists and Monday’s discussion, but he added that sitting down and going through them is critical to the town’s process in hiring a new administrator and helping him or her get adjusted once hired.

The next meeting between Barrett and selectmen is scheduled for May 13 at 4:30 p.m. Most of that meeting will be spent in executive session, which means it is closed to the public.

Selectmen have said they hope to have a new administrator in place by Aug. 1. Tilton’s contract expires June 30.

Sarah Trent can be reached at 781-661 ext 108 or strent@theforecaster.net.

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