MARION — Town Administrator Paul Dawson announced on Tuesday the makeup of the committee tasked with hiring his successor.

Jim Ryba, Judy Rosbe and Elise Frangos were selected to serve as Marion’s representatives on the committee, while Harbormaster Isaac Perry will serve as the representative of a town department.

Dawson announced on Nov. 6 that he will be retiring March 15. The Board of Selectmen decided in early December that the Plymouth-based Community Paradigm Associates, LLC would aid in the search.

In mid-December the Selectmen put out a request for volunteers to serve on a committee that would replace Dawson.

The board considered naming a selectman, three residents, the head of a town department, a town employee and a member of another town committee to the search committee. But  Bernard Lynch of Paradigm Associates suggested selecting members not intimately involved in town affairs.

“There were a number of qualified applicants, and the decision was made harder because a number of them were close friends of the board members, which made it uncomfortable to decide,” Selectman John Waterman said.

The Selectman chose Randy Parker to represent them on the committee.

The committee will help with the initial review of candidates, and will work privately to choose three to five finalists for the Selectmen to review.

“We do not present a strict timeline for the review, but the committee shall work expeditiously,” said Dawson, reading from the official charge that the Selectmen gave the committee. He clarified that a more specific timeline was not set because “It’s difficult to know the timeline exactly.”

Selectmen Chair Norman Hills also clarified that the applications will come in this month and the committee’s work will begin in earnest in February. 

Only the names of the final three candidates will be made public.