Planning director resigns, town plots course to fill vacancies

Dartmouth is now running two ongoing searches for town officials, with Planning Director Christine O’Grady’s last day having been Friday, July 19, according to Communications Coordinator Magnolia McComish.

O’Grady gave notice of her departure Tuesday, June 25, according to McComish. At a combined Monday, July 22 meeting of the Planning and Select Boards, Select Board member David Tatelbaum said she had received a job offer soon after former Town Administrator Shawn MacInnes’ exit.

“Head hunters know when the top dog leaves they want to go and find the people who are disgruntled or may want to walk away,” said Tatelbaum. “That’s what they did.”

Planning Board Chair Kevin Melo said, “The board quite frankly was a little bit upset with the exit and how the exit was handled,” adding how he was asked not to inform the board so that they could be told personally, but instead members found out through “gossip.”

Planning Board members expressed a desire for a much speedier search process than the last time this position was vacant.

Chris Vitale, interim co-town administrator, said the draft plan for this new search has the town on track to post the job listing next week and on week six of the process, begin evaluating the applications. By week 12, Vitale said the hope is to begin interviewing candidates for a total 13-week process. 

However, this timeline could be affected by the number and/or quality of applicants as well as any notice the chosen candidate will need when leaving their current role, Vitale said. A screening committee will be formed for the search and will also keep an eye on the volume of applications leading up to week six.

In the meantime, the Planning Board is opting to hire someone as a consultant to support the assistant planning director, who has been handling the day-to-day, especially with public hearings.

Melo said the board’s hope is to have John Hanson, the former planning director of Dartmouth and current assistant town administrator for Swansea, as the consultant. Hanson would work approximately 11 hours a week at a set rate. 

The board is limited to $10,000 for this consulting work, which gives them approximately three months, according to Vitale.

The Planning Department was already in the process of filling a vacancy on the Planning Board, given Christopher O’Neil’s exit in order to join the Select Board following the town election. 

Two candidates were interviewed by the boards for the position, Kyra Lawton, the owner of an interior design and architecture company, and Helio Rosa, vice president for faculty and real estate at the Greater Boston YMCA. In a 5-4 vote by the boards, Rosa was chosen for the position. He will not take the full remaining term, but is appointed to the board until the next election following the filing of all the right paperwork.

Members from both boards expressed an interest in a candidate who is willing to put in the work and stick around for a while. 

Planning Board member Nicholas Psichopaidas said, “There's a heartbeat behind Dartmouth that people don't see when they drive down Slocum Road or up and down Route 6 and who we are and the considerations we make — not for an applicant, not for a project — but for the town in its whole.”

Psichopaidas emphasized how important this aspect of their job is, adding how there is a “family” feel to how the board operates.

Both candidates had the right qualifications and discussion ensued on whether the board would be able to have them both. However, in the end, Helio was chosen. 

Helio has a formal education in architecture, with a focus on project management and planning. He has experience working with Southcoast Health as the lead for its Design and Construction Department before eventually making his way to the Greater Boston YMCA.

He is a town meeting member and has been serving on the Recreation Building Committee since the start of the year, which is what set him apart from Lawton, members said.

Select Board Chair Shawn McDonald said, “Personally, I’d like to thank Mr. Rosa and Miss Lawton for coming up, stepping up, to do the position.”