Five Dartmouth residents were selected to serve on the Screening Committee for the town administrator search at the Select Board meeting Monday, Sept. 30.

Coming from a variety of backgrounds, of the seven committee candidates, Jim Mathes, Ed Barry, John Quinn, Nathan Silva and Deirdre Welch were chosen as the team who will screen town administrator applications.

At a previous meeting, the Select Board voted agreeing that no member should sit on the Screening Committee. Select Board member David Tatelbaum said he had some concerns with that choice, having never seen a committee of its kind go with Select Board representation.

However, Select Board Chair Shawn McDonald said he feels confident, and with the committee candidates in mind, he believes they will be able to successfully provide the board with five solid candidates for the town administrator position.

Select Board member Heidi Silva Brooks agreed, adding how she had the opportunity to voice her concerns and provide input with the Edward J. Collins, Jr. Center for Public Management at UMass Boston, which is conducting the search, during her one-on-one meeting with them.

“The decision will end up being ours,” Silva Brooks said. “I think by us not being a part [of the committee], it’s not tainted or skewed that the Select person on that committee kind of got two votes for the person.”

She added keeping the committee separate, puts them “all on an even footing” and gives the committee the opportunity to let the Collins Center know if there needs to be a “deeper pool,” if applications are not aligning with what the town is looking for.

Additionally, the Select Board worked on finalizing the position posting with the Collins Center. 

For members, ensuring the position's five-day work week and sorting out paying were some of their top concerns with the posting.

McDonald emphasized he wants a town administrator who will be working in person at Town Hall five-days a week. 

Members agreed to have the posting advertise a $205,000 pay, with a stipulation that this could be more or less based on qualifications.