ORANGE – Selectboard members hope third time’s the charm in its town administrator search, as offers made to two previous finalists were rescinded for undisclosed reasons.

The board voted unanimously in mid-April to offer the position to Kevin Flynn before doing the same with Carter Terenzini in late May after restarting the process. Matthew Fortier, Glenn Fratto and Rebecca Lisi were interviewed separately at a Selectboard meeting two weeks ago and Chair Tom Smith said he hopes he and his colleagues will make a decision on the two finalists, Fortier and Lisi, on Wednesday. Fratto was not selected as a finalist. He declined to say why the offers to Flynn and Terenzini were rescinded.

Flynn had served as the town administrator of Sandisfield, in Berkshire County, from Nov. 22, 2021, until he resigned in March 2022, presumably due to a two-hour commute and an inability to find housing in the area, according to the Berkshire Eagle. He had previously worked for other municipalities, including Phillipston. The Berkshire Eagle reported his resignation from Sandisfield was abrupt and without warning. In August, he interviewed for the assistant town administrator position in Montague but a seven-member hiring committee opted to suggest Town Planner Walter Ramsey, who ultimately got the job.

During his interview on May 24, Terenzini explained he has worked in public service most of his career, including stints in Grafton, Templeton and Spencer as well as towns in New Hampshire and the Massachusetts state government. He said he retired a few years ago “and quickly got bored.” His previous two jobs have been as interim town administrator. He admitted to the Selectboard he can be “an acquired taste.”

Terenzini generated controversy as Spencer Town Administrator in 2007 when he distributed to municipal employees, Selectboard members and colleagues a memorandum — titled “The Rest of the Story” — admitting to an affair with a woman he supervised. He was later removed from consideration for the town manager position in Oberlin, Ohio, when the affair and his failure to disclose it came to light, according to the Telegram & Gazette in Worcester.

New candidates

Fortier is the Orange Health Agent and moderated his first Annual Town Meeting last week.

According to her website, Lisi earned a doctorate in political science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2021, with a dissertation exploring the impact negative campaign ads featuring Latinos have on White vote choice and public opinion. She also served as a city councilor in Holyoke from 2008 to 2022 and ran for mayor in 2021.

Lisi and Fortier are scheduled for second interviews at 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., respectively, on Wednesday.

According to online sources, Fratto is the business manager at Clinton Public Schools, having previously worked in Leominster and for Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.

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