Three Things to Know About the Town Administrator Finalists, Process

The Board of Selectmen will interview the two finalists for town administrator on Wednesday.

The selectmen have narrowed their search to two candidates: Michael P. Gilleberto and Thomas Durkin.

Here’s what you need to know about the candidates and the process: 

Backgrounds

Michael P. Gilleberto is a North Reading resident who is the town administrator in Tyngsboro. He has been town administrator in Tyngsboro since 2010.

He told the Lowell Sun that a chance to work in his town and to work closer to his young family is a reason for his decision to apply.

He previously served as director of operations for the Worcester city manager.

The other candidate, Durkin, a Peabody resident, is treasurer at Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. He previously served as chief financial officer and chief operating officer for Chelsea.

Interviews

The selectmen will hold the interviews on Wednesday, May 14.

The meeting will open at 5:15 p.m. Selectmen will interview Durkin at 5:30 p.m. and then Gilleberto at 7:15 p.m.

After the Gilleberto interview, the selectmen will meet in executive session to discuss the candidates and choose a new town administrator. Once that discussion is finished, the selectmen will reconvene in open session and announce their selection.

The public is invited to attend. The interviews will be broadcast on Norcam.  

The process

The selectmen have been conducting the search process for a new town administrator since current Town Administrator Greg Balukonis announced earlier this year that he and the selectmen agreed to part ways when his contract ends in June.

Balukonis, a Shrewsbury resident, has been a finalist in Dracut and Lowell since announcing that he was leaving North Reading.

The two finalists recently visited North Reading and spoke with residents and officials. Selectmen have also met with people associated with the finalists’ current positions to learn more about their work.

The selectmen initially planned on conducting the interviews before the Town Election so that former Selectmen Chairman Sean Delaney could take part. However, the board ultimately decided to allow for the final interviews to occur with new Selectman Jeffrey Yull, who won election to the board last week. Yull previously served one term on the selectmen.