Former Swampscott Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald was unanimously offered the interim town administrator position in Hubbardston on Monday.

The Select Board offered Fitzgerald, a Peabody resident, the position following the departure of former Hubbardston Town Administrator Nathan Boudreau, who left in December after being placed on paid leave. Fitzgerald served as Swampscott’s town administrator until the end of 2024.

No one at Hubbardston Town Hall answered the phones when the Swampscott Tides called on Monday.

“There’s nothing here that you’re dealing with that’s extraordinary to me in terms of challenges,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s just getting the building blocks together and making sure that your auditors are doing right by you, making sure that you can understand what’s exempt and non-exempt in terms of your debt. There’s a lot of good work going on here, and I think there’s some great tools that I can help you put in place.”

Fitzgerald still needs to formally accept the position, but he told the Select Board he had no hesitation about the role and appreciated the sense of camaraderie among board members.

“You may not all have the same idea and think the same way, but you make this government work,” he said. “I do think that you appreciate you need some help, and you need a team, and I’ve been there. I think if I get in here and take a real hard look at a few things, I can come back to the board and have a conversation about how we prioritize time and effort.”

If he accepts the position, Fitzgerald would serve as Hubbardston’s interim town administrator until a permanent hire is made, which is expected to occur before June 30.

Hubbardston Select Board Chair Jeffrey Williams previously announced that there were nine applicants for the position.

Fitzgerald served as Swampscott’s town administrator for eight years. During his tenure, the town navigated the COVID-19 pandemic, voted to consolidate its elementary schools, acquired additional open space, and launched new community events.

In a letter to the Lynn Item, Fitzgerald said it had become “clear to me that with a new Select Board moving in a different direction with an increasing number of decisions and actions that I did not agree with, it was the right time for me to step away.”

During a public interview for a Danvers town manager position in 2025, Fitzgerald cited disagreements with newly elected Select Board members as a key reason for stepping down after eight years.

“In positions that I’ve had where I’ve had to transition, I’ve always tried to leave in a way that best supports the community,” Fitzgerald said Monday. “Any time you spend a little time helping a community out, I think that’s a privilege, and I’ll do my best to leave this town as well as possible.”

The Hubbardston Select Board has also established a town administrator search committee, though Fitzgerald said during his interview that he has not considered pursuing the permanent position.

“What I’m interested in is coming here and helping to address some of these immediate issues,” Fitzgerald said in Hubbardston on Monday. “I read the local paper’s articles that I could get online, and there are some things going on here that we have to get a handle on. It is staffing but it’s also some of the fiduciary (aspects).”

Hubbardston is also facing a wave of resignations among town staff.

During a December 15 special meeting, the Select Board unanimously accepted the resignations of Assistant Treasurer-Collector Sara Rish and Town Accountant Samantha Chatterton.

A month earlier, the board accepted the resignations of Building Commissioner and Inspector David Horne, DPW laborer Brendan McDonald, Treasurer-Collector Mary Leroux, and Executive Assistant Patricia Lowe.

“It can be exhausting,” Fitzgerald said. “Everybody has peak periods, and so I think we have to understand the cycle and understand that we’re human. People need to hear that they’re wonderful and that they make a difference, especially to a small community.”