By Sue Ellen Woodcock
In one of its first orders of business the Town Council voted to extend the contract of Interim Town Manager/Police Chief Terence Delehanty on Tuesday night during a brief meeting after the inauguration.
Delehanty has been wearing both hats for the past four months, one month of which he was temporarily made full town manager so some end of year business could be attended to.
Delehanty became interim town manager after Town Manager James McKenna decided not to renew his contract, and finish his final year of the contract, which runs out in May, as a consultant to the town. McKenna had been town manager for nine years, the longest since the town went to a Town Manager form of government 12 years ago. At that time there had been 25 applicants.
A nationwide search was made for new town manager but yielded only 12 applicants. Three of those applicants were interviewed by the search committee.
The town council and the search committee have opted to extend the search in the new year.