MARION — Town  Administrator James McGrail met with the Board of Selectmen and Marion Town Counsel Jon Witten to get some clarity about his job responsibilities, and guiding principles for governing the town at the Marion Town House at noon on Thursday, July 18. McGrail began working as Town Administrator on May 13. 

Witten said that the Board of Selectmen can address McGrail’s concerns by creating a concrete job description for the position of Town Administrator as a short-term solution. He also recommended developing an official town charter as a long-term solution to potential lack of clarity in the town government.

Although there is not currently an official job description for the Town Administrator, Witten explained that it is within the power of the Board of Selectmen to create one. McGrail presented the board with a draft of a potential job description. The three selectmen will have the opportunity to edit the draft individually. After they agree on the description, the board will apply it to McGrail and future administrators.

McGrail said that the added clarity will be especially helpful from a managerial perspective. Currently, his position does not formally give him authority over staff and town employees. McGrail said that this would make it difficult to reprimand, or give orders to someone who is underperforming. He joked that because there is no official description of his authority someone could simply tell him “you’re not my boss.”

Scenarios mentioned at the meeting were hypothetical, and did not refer to any specific individual or incident.

Witten advocated for a town charter to act as a “constitution” at the municipal level. The charter could outline duties and powers of officials and act as the basic provisions for the form, structure and organization of the town government.

He said that creating a town charter would likely take a year and a half to two years. The board has not made a decision on whether or not to create a charter at this time.