The Planning Board came before the Select Board on Dec. 2 to discuss extending a new offer for the Planning Director position after Camerin Bennett chose to not accept the role, which has been open since July after Christine O’Grady resigned.

On Oct. 22, the Planning Board voted 3-1 in favor of offering the job to Bennett, which the Select Board unanimously agreed with on account of her level of experience, her ability to obtain an American Institute of Certified Planners certificate and her lack of conflict of interest.

“She turned down the offer when we had presented that three weeks ago,” said Gary Carreiro, co-interim town administrator. It is unclear why she declined.

On Dec. 2, the Planning Board and Select Board voted to extend an offer to Daniel Gioiosa, who had been vying for the position at the same time as Bennett.

Gioiosa has lived in Dartmouth ever since his family moved to the area when he was in elementary school and has worked for the town of Dartmouth for the past 25 years in positions including as an engineer at SITEC Engineering where he worked with his father, Steve Gioiosa.

In October, many of the Planning Board and Select Board members were concerned that Gioiosa’s work relationship with his father and other town members and whether they would pose a conflict of interest.

Christopher Vitale, interim co-town administrator, confirmed at the meeting that there would be a conflict of interest because if his father or someone else he worked with in the past came before the Planning Board he would have to recuse himself from meetings or planning sessions.

However, this does not disqualify Gioiosa from the position.

The Planning Board and Select Board unanimously voted to extend the offer to Gioiosa on the condition that he obtains an American Institute of Certified Planners certificate within a certain time frame.

At his final interview for the position, Gioiosa said he couldn’t “guarantee” he’d be certified within four to five years.

Having a certificate is not required for the position, but the Planning Board and Select Board find it preferable to have.

“Certification holds the position to a higher standard,” Carreiro said. “It allows us to be able to recruit people that have the experience.”

According to the American Planning Association website, being certified is valuable because the credential is an assurance that an employee has the “necessary expertise, knowledge and commitment to ethics.”

Kevin Melo, the Planning Board’s chair, had been the one vote against Bennett out of concern she wouldn’t stay in the position for long.

Referring to Gioiosa, Melo said at the Oct. 22 meeting that “only one will be here in five years.”

If Gioiosa turns down the offer, the Select Board would “switch to recruit the planner” and “go out and use a recruitment agency to look at potential candidates,” Carreiro said.