Ward Starts as New Granby Town Manager This Week

GRANBY/VERNON, — John Ward began the week as Vernon's town administrator and will end it as Granby's new town manager.

Ward finished up in his hometown on Wednesday and started in Granby on Thursday.

Vernon Mayor Daniel Champagne called Ward Vernon's "go-to guy" since 2009.

Granby First Selectman B. Scott Kuhnly said he is replacing William F. Smith, Jr. who is retiring after 39 years as town manager in Granby.

In Vernon, Ward's responsibilities were similar to a town manager except he reported to

the mayor, who then presided over Town Council meetings.

Before becoming the town administrator, Ward served on the Vernon Town Council and Board of Education. He was an practicing attorney from 1992 to 2008 at a number of firms which included labor relations and worker's compensation law.

He received his J.D. from Western New England College School of Law and is currently working on his master in public administration degree from the University of Connecticut.

Some of Ward's accomplishments include overseeing the renovation of old mills for reuse in Vernon, securing a new senior center, along with many grants and municipal bonds for capital improvement and merging municipal and Board of Education IT Departments.

Kuhnly said he and the Board of Selectmen were "impressed with Mr. Ward’s
experience in Connecticut municipal government, his knowledge of contract administration,
human resources, risk management and purchasing experience as a chief administrative
officer, and his effort to consolidate services with the Board of Education to improve efficiencies
such as facility and IT services."

Ward is also very active in regional organizations such as the Capitol Region Council of Governments, Council of Small Towns, Connecticut Conference of Municipalities and serves as the President of the Connecticut Town & City Manager Association.

“I am very excited about this opportunity and look forward to serving
the citizens of the Town of Granby,” Ward said.

Added Kuhnly, “We are very excited to have John join the Granby team. His knowledge, skill sets, and experience will be a great fit for our community. We look forward to great things.”

The town of Granby used the executive search firm of Randi Frank Consulting, LLC to assist
with the recruitment process for a new town manager.

A total of 24 candidates applied for the position.

The Consultant presented the top nine candidates to the Board of Selectmen for review and that number was reduced to the top three candidates.

They were interviewed by the Board of Selectmen which unanimously selected John Ward to proceed in the process which included meeting town staff members and further review and discussion with the Board of Selectmen.

Photo Credit: Town of Vernon