Natick Select Board Picks New Town Administrator

NATICK, MA — After a nearly seven-month search, the Natick Select Board on Monday unanimously voted to hire Arlington Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine to become the new Town Administrator.

The Select Board had four finalists for the job: Natick Deputy Town Administrator Jamie Errickson, Concord Deputy Town Manager Kate Hodges, Winthrop Town Manager Austin Faison and Chapdelaine.

The Select Board will now enter negotiations with Chapdelaine before he formally accepts the job.

In separate speeches during a Monday special meeting, each Select Board member highlighted the strengths of the four candidates, but several members said Chapdelaine and Errickson were the frontrunners.

"I really wanted to hire them all, frankly." Chair Karen Adelman-Foster said.

Former Town Administrator Melissa Malone announced on Nov. 3 that she would step down by the end of 2020 after 2-1/2 years on the job. Errickson stepped in as an interim administrator, and the town later hired Robert Rooney as an interim administrator.

In December, the Select Board assembled a nine-member committee of residents and sitting officials, including Superintendent Anna Nolin, to find a permanent replacement for Malone. The final four candidates were interviewed via video last week, and then again over the weekend in roundtable meetings with the Select Board members.

Chapdelaine, 41, is a Dedham resident, and has been Arlington's town manager since 2012. Before that, he served as the city administrator in Fall River.