Select Board selects Community Paradigm Associates to help with Town Manager search

By Theresa Knapp
On Jan. 13, the Holliston Select Board chose Community Paradigm Associates as the executive search firm to help the town’s search for its first Town Manager.
Paradigm was chosen from the four Requests for Proposals that were submitted, at a cost of $14,000.
“The differentiator for [Paradigm] was their language about community engagement and particularly the screening panel, making sure that they knew what was expected of them and they had experience with that,” said Select Board member Ben Sparrell. “They certainly had a timeline that made sense and was consistent with our expectations. They have extensive experience in this space in Massachusetts.”
The town currently has a Town Administrator as its lead administrative position, but in October Fall Town Meeting passed the “Town Manager Act,” which was signed into law by Governor Maura Healey on Jan. 1, 2025.
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Paradigm helped Holliston select Travis Ahern as its Town Administrator.
In December, Ahern was named the new Executive Director of the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission and will start “potentially” on March 3, according to the agency.
According to the RFP, the creation of a Town Manager form of government “is the most significant modernization of Holliston governance since the Acts of 1994, which created the Town Administrator role and the Town is excited to recruit under this new governance structure.”
Screening panel
The board voted to form a “Holliston Town Manager Screening Panel” to include seven residents who will work collaboratively with Paradigm. According to the panel’s charge, the group will be “responsible for presenting the names of 2-4 individuals, who shall be considered finalists, to the Holliston Select Board for consideration as appointment as the Town Manager of Holliston.”
The panel will meet with Paradigm, receive and review resumes of semi-finalists chosen by Paradigm, conduct interviews, compare candidate information, review outcomes of reference and background checks, and “choose up to 4 unranked finalists for presentation to the Select Board.”
The board chose to create a seven-member panel with the hope of securing members that represent the seven priorities in the town’s Strategic Plan:
1. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
2. Education and Enrichment
3. Environmental Sustainability and Natural Resources
4. Financial Stability
5. Flourishing Economy
6. Robust Infrastructure
7. Thriving and Engaged Community
Ahern said the panel commitment should be approximately four weeks.
The Select Board will make the final selection of the new Town Manager.