The Town Administrator Search Committee has presented three candidates to the Select Board for consideration as Swampscott’s next town administrator.
“They have excellent backgrounds in municipal governments. They are well respected leaders, and they are excited about the opportunity that Swampscott provides them,” said Committee Chair Heather Roman. “No particular order, they are Jason Silva, David Williams and Nicholas Connors.”
The committee was formed to recruit and vet candidates after former Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald resigned in late 2024. Though scheduled to serve through June, he took paid leave during his final months. Director of the Department of Public Works Gino Cresta has been serving as interim town administrator since.
The Town Administrator Search Committee received 34 applications and conducted interviews with nine of them in July.
“Everybody worked very hard together. Everybody took this job very seriously and brought different perspectives to the table,” Roman said. “Everybody was really committed to finding the best finalists that we could provide to this board.”
The Select Board has received resumes and background summaries for Silva, Williams, and Connors.
“If you have any questions about the individual finalists, we as a committee recommend that you get to know them through their career history and all of the information you already have and through the interview process,” Roman said, adding that the committee members can help once those tasks are completed.
Preliminary searches show Silva currently serves as Dunstable’s town administrator; Williams is the HR manager in North Smithfield, Rhode Island; and Connors is assistant town administrator in Milton.
“We do believe that any of them will be successful here,” Roman said.
Select Board Member Danielle Leonard questioned why there are only three finalists chosen by the committee. Roman shared they had chosen four but “we did lose one candidate between the interview process and the release forms.”
“We wanted to only present candidates that we thought were 100% a good fit for Swampscott, had experience and were up to the challenge,” Roman said. “That’s where we ended up.”
Leonard also asked how much weight the resident survey carried in the process. The survey asked residents to rank essential leadership traits. Transparency ranked highest, followed closely by financial knowledge.
Overall, financial management was named the top priority, with education and infrastructure also ranked highly. Other concerns included climate action, public safety, and housing.
Roman shared that the survey played into the questions asked of the candidates.
Consultant Rick White, who worked with the search committee, will continue supporting the Select Board through the selection process.The Select Board had planned to hold interviews on Tuesday, August 12 and Wednesday, August 13. One candidate, however, has conflicts with both days, and Select Board Chair Katie Phelan assured that can be resolved.
“They’re ready and committed to go,” White said.
Updated August 6 at 6 p.m. with Silva’s current position.
Updated August 7 at 10 a.m. with Williams’ current position.
