NORTHBOROUGH – Northborough has a new town administrator.
The Select Board unanimously voted on Wednesday, Nov. 15, to make a conditional offer of employment to Tim McInerney. The offer is conditional on a background check and contract negotiation.
McInerney and the other two finalists, Jeff Bridges and Clancy Main, were interviewed by the Select Board that evening.
“Any one of these three, I would be happy to hire,” said Select Board Chair Mitch Cohen before the deliberations.
McInerney grew up in Lowell. He was the town administrator in Grafton from 2009 to 2020. Prior to joining Grafton, he served as the interim town administrator in Ware; interim town manager in Uxbridge; town administrator in Seekonk; and town manager in Salisbury, in addition to positions in Ohio and South Carolina. Most recently, he worked as the interim director of inspectional services in Worcester from January to September 2021.
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“When you look at my resume, it’s 20+ years of local government, but I worked at every level of government,” said McInerney.
During his interview, McInerney addressed why he left Grafton. He said there’s a strong charter relative to the town administrator. There’s a process to remove someone from a position, and the town administrator’s contract includes language for removal with a severance package.
The severance package, he said, can serve as a deterrent for a board.
Six months before he left Grafton, the sitting board extended his severance and contract because they were happy with his performance.
“They wanted to keep me, but they had an inkling that something might be changing in the wind, and it did. That board changed pretty much overnight in two election cycles over a two-year period. I left with that severance package, and always wanted to get back,” McInerney said.
According to an article by Grafton Common at the time, he stepped down as town administrator after reaching an agreement with the Select Board.
For the past two years, he said he’s been supporting his wife’s business and taking care of his sons.
“I had a great opportunity, and don’t get me wrong, I took advantage of it. I’m grateful I had it because I think that was a tender time in their lives, and I got a lot of five-star ratings on Yelp for driving them everywhere they wanted to go,” he said.
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Over his interview, the Select Board asked McInerney numerous questions, including about the budget, economic development, how to attract and retain quality talent, his management style and communication efforts.
During their deliberations, the Select Board narrowed the field down to McInerney and Bridges, noting their experience.
Select Board member Kristen Wixted praised McInerney’s demeanor and the Select Board’s rapport with him during the interview. She said she liked that he lived in Grafton, which is close enough that he knew Northborough.
“I like how he involved staff so much,” said Laura Ziton. “He wasn’t willing to just listen to us, he wants to make sure that we’re working together. I like that he’s willing to collaborate in such an open way together with the board and staff as we really establish what we want to look like going forward.”
