Stoneham says goodbye to Town Admin. Nutting
Published on January 17th, 2001
STONEHAM ,MA - Town Administrator Jeff Nutting has given Stoneham notice: he plans to be at the helm of Franklin, Mass. no later than March 5.
Nutting accepted the job of Franklin Town Administrator Tuesday night at a meeting of the Franklin Town Council.
“I used to argue with him, but I’ll miss him,” said Stoneham Selectman Cosmo Ciccarello.
“He was a strong fiscal manager; you can’t argue with that,” said Stoneham Selectman Chairman Pat Jordan.
Nutting was making just over $100,000 in Stoneham. Former Franklin Town Administrator Ronald Owens was making $88,000 when he was fired four months ago. Salary details have been discussed in private session of the Franklin Town Council. As a resident of bordering Medway, Nutting’s commute to Franklin would be minutes and highway-free.
Nutting leaves Stoneham, after more than eight years, as the longest lasting Town administrator in Stoneham history.
“I definitely have the record,” Nutting said with a smile Monday. Bill Sequino at four and a half years is a distant second.
Nutting speaks proudly about the new Stoneham Police Station, the Senior Center and the Town Common as he looks out his office window at his most visible accomplishments.
“My biggest accomplishment was not brick and mortar, though. It was getting people to work together,” Nutting said.
Franklin Town Council Chairman Bob Vallee said he went with Nutting on “a gut feeling.”
Vallee added that he liked Nutting’s qualifications but focused on the characteristic that Nutting jokes about — staying power.
“I’ve been here 16 years, and we’ve been through five (town administrators),” Vallee said.
Nutting said he has both personal and professional reasons for ending his ironman stint in Stoneham. The job is closer to home, but Nutting says that others have emphasized this point more than he.
“Franklin provides new professional challenges, and I have finished most of the big projects I have worked on here,” Nutting said. He looks forward to working with new issues in his new job, specifically dealing with a growing community. Stoneham is 95-plus percent built out, but new houses have been sprouting like dandelions in Franklin.
“There are a set of new challenges — dealing with open space and economic issues — about growth,” Nutting said.
He added that when the same job opened a year ago, he chose not to pursue it because of uncertainty with the Stoneham Town Common.
“Now is the right time,” Nutting said.
What about the budget?
“I plan to have a full draft one of the budget to Selectmen before I leave,” Nutting said.
Fiscal 2002 may bring budget cuts the likes of which have not been seen since Nutting’s first years in town. But Nutting says that Stoneham will survive without him.
“Financial crises are cyclical,” Nutting said. “Stoneham won’t be able to be as aggressive with new projects, but we should not forget to maintain what we have built.”
Nutting will meet with the Selectmen to talk about the fiscal 2002 budget on Jan. 23.
“We Selectmen will pull together,” Jordan said about handling the budget crunch without a permanent town administrator in place.
Next please
Within seven days of Nutting’s departure, an Acting Stoneham Town Administrator must be on the job.
The Town is posting for this position as well as the permanent job. Selectmen will hire the acting administrator.
A search committee will also be formed, with each selectman appointing one member. The search committee will narrow the pool of applicants to several finalists. Selectmen will conduct one or two rounds of interviews to find their number one choice for the job. The lucky winner gets the chance to go for Nutting’s record.
The search process usually takes around five months.
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