Select board chooses three town manager finalists
June 13, 2026 | By Lisa Scagliotti The search for Waterbury’s next town manager took a key step forward on Thursday when the Waterbury Select Board chose three finalists from five applicants it interviewed at a special meeting.
The board on Thursday held its first round of interviews with five applicants in an executive session with each interview scheduled for 30 minutes. Meeting in the conference room at the Waterbury Public Library, the board conducted the interviews via Zoom.
Included in the interviews were Vermont League of Cities and Towns consultant Bill Fraser, who is working with the board on the recruitment and hiring process, and Interim Town Manager Bill Woodruff, the town’s public works director who was tapped to serve in the manager role earlier this year. Former manager Tom Leitz left at the start of February after three years in the job.
The select board advertised the position through May and received 16 applications. They chose five candidates for the initial interview round.
Select Board Chair Martha Staskus on Friday said the board chose three finalists to return for more in-depth one-day individual interviews on June 17, 18 and 24. The candidates will meet with the select board, a committee of town staff members, and a Community Interview Team comprised of local residents that was to be chosen at the end of the day on Friday.
The board asked for volunteers, and Woodruff said at least 10 individuals expressed interest. Board Vice Chair Don Schneider explained that the board would randomly choose seven for the committee.
Waterbury’s search for a new town manager comes as multiple other Vermont communities, including Barre City, Randolph, Newport and Hartford, are also looking to fill their top staff positions, posing more choices for candidates and greater competition among municipalities.
In 2022, for example, when Waterbury recruited to hire a successor to longtime Town Manager Bill Shepeluk, who was retiring, the search committee received 32 applications.
Fraser noted that he participated in the process in Northfield recently to hire a new manager. In that instance, the town received 86 applications, he said, but the majority of the candidates did not have the desired qualifications. He said the Northfield committee chose to advertise online more widely than the Waterbury Select Board, which was “more strategic” in its advertising. As a result, only about 10 of the Northfield applications were worth serious consideration, Fraser said.
By comparison, only one of the applications in the pool that Waterbury officials are considering didn’t meet the desired qualifications. “It’s a tough environment now,” Fraser said. “To get 15 decent applications is pretty good.”
The salary for the Waterbury town manager position was advertised at between $125,000 and $145,000. In the employment contract the select board approved with Leitz last summer, he was to be earning just over $129,000. Given the competitive market, the select board several weeks ago—before their application deadline—discussed adjusting that pay range higher to potentially attract more interest. They ultimately agreed not to revise it.
Once the deadline passed, the board chose the five candidates whom they believed to be the best matches, based on their applications, for the initial interviews, Fraser said.
Asked about the five individuals last week, Staskus said there was a mix of men and women, as well as candidates currently in Vermont and living outside of Vermont in the group. On Friday, she did not elaborate on such details regarding the three finalists that the board selected for second interviews.
Fraser said he advises the local officials he consults with not to reveal candidate names or details about their experience that might identify them during the interview process. He explained that making the finalists public during the screening period could dissuade some candidates from applying.
Announcing candidates before a hiring choice is made could create “a whole different dynamic” for individuals who ultimately don’t match for the position and who may have an existing job, Fraser said.
As a result, the next round of interviews with the select board, town staff and community committees will not be open to the public. Once a hiring choice is made and a background check is done, that individual’s name and details will be shared publicly, Fraser said.
In 2022, the town manager selection process in Waterbury was similarly done outside of public view, although it also tapped a committee of townspeople to interview the finalists. Town officials at the time announced their choice of Leitz but did not reveal the other candidates they considered. At the time, the process played out shortly after the Harwood Unified Union School District recruited and hired a new superintendent in a much different process where finalists were announced and interviewed in public settings.
This time, the select board began the recruitment process in April with the goal of making a hire by the end of June. “It’s pretty much on track,” Fraser said.
Exactly when a new manager might start will depend on the candidate the board chooses and how soon they may be available to start, especially if the individual has to move, Fraser pointed out.
Until then, Woodruff has agreed to remain working as interim manager while juggling public works duties. Afterward, he would return to the public works role as his main job.
Unlike the arrangement when Shepeluk and Leitz were municipal manager, the recent job description advertised did not include the additional role of manager for the Edward Farrar Utility District, Waterbury’s separate municipal entity that runs the water and wastewater departments. Woodruff has also been serving as interim manager for the district since Leitz left in February. He and the district’s board have discussed continuing that part-time arrangement longer.
This post will be updated with the names of the Community Interview Team members after they are announced.