MATTAPOISETT — Tyler Macallister resigned his position on the Board of Selectmen to apply for the town administrator job, as the position enters a second round of applications.

As of Oct. 2, the search committee for the role has yet to choose a replacement for Michael Gagne, said he has agreed to keep working past his original Oct. 15 retirement date while the town hires a recruiter and carries out a second round of interviews.

Gagne announced his plan to retire at a Board of Selectmen meeting on Feb. 26.

A Screening Committee was formed to select his replacement.

The Screening Committee met for the first time on July 18 to begin the process of finding Gagne’s successor.  In that meeting, committee members identified municipal experience, and connections as important credentials for applicants. 

Gagne agreed with the need for connections, saying that if he doesn’t know how to answer a question, he can often ask someone else in his network.

The committee also identified environmental experience as important due to Mattapoisett’s coastal location.

Selectman Jordan Collyer said that the screening committee had a large number of applicants. He said it had narrowed the applications down to a single best candidate. However, the process “takes an extended period of time” according to Collyer, and while the committee was scheduling an interview with its top candidate, that person accepted another job.

Collyer also confirmed that Macallister intends to apply for the position.

When he announced his retirement, Gagne said that his time working for the town has been “interesting and rewarding” and that he has “enjoyed working with citizens” because of their excellent ideas.