Lenox has been in search of a new permanent town manager since the previous seat holder, Christopher Ketchen, left after a decade in July for a state role. In the meantime, outgoing 3rd Berkshire District State Representative Smitty Pignatelli has served in an interim capacity.
On October 11th, the Lenox select board voted unanimously to choose Jay Green over former Pittsfield city councilor and Williamsburg town administrator Nick Caccamo after the field was winnowed down to two finalists. The choice came with its share of caveats.
“I’m on the fence, I’ll be honest with you. I think both candidates have got positive attributes. I think Jay can step in and certainly do the job right away," said board member Max Scherff. “I will say that I think I heard twice in the in the interview with Jay that he was tired and burned out, and that's a concern for me. I think that this is not a- We're not, there's still a lot for Lenox to do, especially in the next five to six years with projects and potential- Not potential, we know we have some department heads that are leaving. There's a lot that's going to happen here. So, I don't- I was concerned that my perception was that he thought this was going to be a, come in, and very easy job, and I don't think it is. So, I will support Jay, but I do think there are some concerns.”
Scherff wasn’t the only board member who felt that way.
“I too was concerned when Jay brought up the fact that he's like, I just did 12 years’ worth of work in the last six years, and I'm thinking, that's what you're going to be walking into here," said board member Marybeth Mitts. "It's going to be a lot with the wastewater treatment plant, public safety building, library, the potential school project, there's a lot that's going to happen.”
Mitts is running for Pignatelli’s seat in November’s election as an independent candidate against Democrat Leigh Davis.
“It was probably an offhand comment that, ‘I really hate the budget process,’" she continued. "That's like, 25% of this job is the budget process and working with the different departments to sus out what the priorities are, what the what the competing priorities are, how you kind of judge that, and so that kind of made me a little concerned.”
For his part, Green says he’s accepted both the job and the challenges ahead.
“It was a hard decision," he told WAMC. "Adams is a great town too. We've accomplished some great things over the last five and a half years. We have a lot more to do with Adams, but you know, when the door opens, you always got to look for that next opportunity, so I did.”
He says he has strong grasp on Lenox’s goals.
“Based on my conversations so far with folks from Lenox, budget management, for sure, in terms of managing debt," said Green. "Lenox has a lot of critical infrastructure projects coming up. You've seen some of that coverage already, in some of that conversations with the wastewater treatment plant rehabilitation project that's in the design stages, discussions over an expansion at the middle and high school. There's some concerns with the library building that have been going on for quite some time.”
In an interview with WAMC, he addressed the concerns raised by members of the select board, starting with Mitts’ issue with his comments about the budget process.
“I'm not quite sure where the lack of interest in the financial aspects comes," said Green. "That's part of being a town manager, and it's certainly something that I've learned to handle, and I've learned to like it. I think the context is more, it's not anything I wake up in the morning and say, boy, I can't wait to, you know, go in and do that, but it is part of the job. I know how to surround myself with really good people that can provide me the data and information. So, I'm not concerned about that one at all.”
As far as experiencing burnout over his time in Adams – including his work to shepherd the long-awaited Greylock Glen project into its opening this month – Green says he was just attempting to be honest with the board.
“I have just as much zeal and just as much interest in providing Lenox with as much gusto and enthusiasm that I gave Adams for the last five and a half years," he told WAMC. "So, I'm not concerned about it. I'm a little disappointed in myself that I gave that impression, and I'll be sure to correct it.”
Currently, Green has no official start date for his new role as Lenox town manager. He tells WAMC he’s officially filed his 90-day notice of departure to the town of Adams and is negotiating his exit.
