After Planning Director Christine O’Grady resigned from the role in July, the Planning Board and Select Board have been searching for a new person to fill the position.

On Tuesday, Oct. 22 two candidates, Camerin Bennett and Daniel Gioiosa, came before the Planning Board and the Select Board for their final interviews for the position.

Bennett, who was raised in Mattapoisett and said she spent a lot of time in Dartmouth growing up, is currently the assistant planning director in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. 

She has an extensive environmental background and said she believes that two of the major issues Dartmouth faces are housing availability and environmental concerns.

The other candidate, Daniel Gioiosa, has lived in Dartmouth ever since his family moved to the area when he was in elementary school, he said.

Gioiosa has worked for the town of Dartmouth for over 25 years, including as an engineer at SITEC Engineering when he worked with his father, Steve Gioiosa, he said.

After conducting the candidates’ separate interviews, the Planning Board and Select Board debriefed and ultimately voted on their preferred candidate.

The Planning Board voted 3-1 in favor of Bennett, and the Select Board unanimously agreed.

Kevin Melo, the Planning Board’s chair, voted against Bennett out of concern that she wouldn’t stay in the position for long.

“Only one will be here in five years,” he said, referring to Gioiosa.

The decision came down to three main factors: experience level, the ability to obtain AICP certification and, ultimately, a conflict of interest.

While Gioiosa arguably had more field experience and more familiarity with Dartmouth, Bennett had more experience across a range of topics, Select Board member Christopher O’Neil said, including experience working with FEMA and flood management.

Bennett, who received her Master of Science degree in geography from the University of Oxford, has a higher education level, was more articulate and presented herself as a good orator and a good communicator, O’Neil added.

Having an AICP certification was not required for the position, but the Planning Board and Select Board found it preferable to have.

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

Neither candidate is presently AICP certified but Bennett mapped out a pathway to become certified within a year or two while Gioiosa said he “can’t guarantee” he’d be certified within four to five years.

For many of the Planning Board and Select Board members, the decision ultimately came down to the relationships between Gioiosa and other town members, particularly his father, and whether these relationships posed a potential conflict of interest.

Christopher Vitale, interim co-town administrator, confirmed at the meeting that there would be a conflict of interest, which would require Gioiosa to often recuse himself from meetings and plannings.

And while this wasn’t necessarily a dealbreaker, Planning Board clerk Margaret Sweet, who made the first motion in favor of Bennett, said she would be “worried about the perception from the rest of the town and the rest of the engineers” if Gioiosa became the planning director.

Nicholas Psichopaidas, a Planning Board member, made the second motion in favor of Bennett, saying that he believed her skills were more planning related and that since “perception is reality” he couldn’t vote for Gioiosa.

“What really matters is your ability to manage people, communicate and think long range,” said Select Board member David Tatelbaum. “I think [Bennet’s] seen a lot and she’s dealt with a lot and all kinds of people.”