Mattapoisett board appointments could soon follow new procedure
The Select Board discussed its appointment process at its Tuesday, July 14 meeting. Photo by Grace Roche
The Select Board discussed its appointment process at its Tuesday, July 14 meeting. Photo by Grace Roche
MATTAPOISETT — The process for town position appointments may soon change after Select Board members agreed they want a more organized way to select who fills openings.
After the Select Board approved an appointment for the Mattapoisett Scholarship Committee and an alternate for the Zoning Board of Appeals at its Tuesday, July 14 meeting, member Nicole Doyon Lynch proposed the board have a more active role in reviewing candidates.
“I would like this to be the last vote that I take for somebody for an appointment that we have not necessarily met, we haven't interviewed,” she said.
Lynch said many people are appointed to boards that hold a lot of power, and she would like to change the way candidates are chosen.
Traditionally, people can express interest in serving on a board regardless of whether there is an open position. When a seat opens up, the first person who applied is typically appointed.
Moving forward, the members of the board agreed they want to gather applications once a position opens up and decide from there who is selected for it. This would give them the opportunity to meet and interview candidates, and be better able to select the most qualified person for the job.
Town Manager Michael Lorenco said this would change the process of filling open seats from passively accepting notifications of interest to actively encouraging people to apply for current openings.
The board plans to further discuss the change of process at an upcoming work session, part of an initiative to set goals for the newly expanded board.
