Former Springfield mayor tapped for administrator position

Former Springfield mayor tapped for administrator position

Eryn Dion
News Staff Writer

TEMPLETON — Templeton officially has a new interim Town Administrator.

The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously Monday night to appoint Robert Markel, the position’s sole applicant, to the part-time administrator post which will begin Feb. 3 and last through the fiscal year.

“It’s really important for the town, on a lot of fronts, to have someone in there at least part time,” Chairman Jeffrey Bennett said. “There are a lot of things that need work, the budget being number one.”

Mr. Markel will temporarily fill the seat left by former Town Coordinator Jeff Ritter, who left earlier in the month for a town administrator position in Sterling.

“Because I retired in the Massachusetts system, I can’t take on full-time work,” Mr. Markel explained. “But, like many retirees, after seven or eight months, I got a little antsy.”


Mr. Markel comes with an extensive and impressive resume that both the board and residents present at the meeting agreed would prove invaluable to the town.

Mr. Markel has lived and worked in Massachusetts his entire life. He started his public service career in Springfield, where he served as the Chairman of the School Committee, a member of City Council and eventually mayor for three years. He then went on to work as the town administrator of Norfolk and town manager in Ipswich before retiring.

He took on his current job as Northfield’s interim town administrator as a way to keep busy and to help a small town facing similar issues. Northfield is well into the process of hiring their first full-time administrator, and according to Mr. Markel, his two-day a week commitment there should phase out in February and leave him dedicate more time to Templeton.

“I don’t know what we did to deserve this,” Mr. Bennett remarked before introducing Mr. Markel.

Newly elected Selectwoman Diane Haley- Brooks added that — while the board was in “crisis mode” because of the budget — Mr. Markel could also help steer town officials through the process of hiring a full-time town administrator.

The board entered into executive session after appointing Mr. Markel to the position in order to negotiate hours and pay. After around twenty minutes of deliberation, they emerged to announce Mr. Markel accepted the position — earning generous applause from those in attendance.

“I thank you for accepting, and I look forward to working with you,” said Mr. Bennett.

The selectmen also took action on the first steps in hiring a full-time town administrator during the meeting and began the process to form a search committee.

The committee will be comprised of three members — one from the Advisory Board and two citizen members-at-large. The advisory board previously voted to appoint member Michael Greene to the town administrator search committee, leaving the two at-large positions open.

The Committee Interest Form is posted on the town’s website and must be submitted by Feb. 10 at noon. If the two-at-large members are not found by the deadline, a pair of selectmen will fill in.

The committee will do the preliminary work in the hiring process, such as collecting and screening applicants before recommending two to three choices to the board for evaluation. Although Mr. Markel will not serve on the committee directly, he will sit in on the meetings — as will the board’s assistants Holly Myers and Kate Young.

The town administrator job opening has not been officially posted yet, however, the board hopes to complete the hiring process by next May.

Elsewhere, Athol’s Board of Selectmen and town manager decided to part ways after an executive session Monday night. The position will be open after Feb. 13 and could provide some competition in Templeton’s administrator search.